Underneath the underneath
by Sky's Eternity
Summary: Iruka and a group of Jounin and Chuunin are sent to retrieve one Harry Potter and protect him for the entire year. However, they should have realized that absolutely nothing as it seems. slash and darker themes. On hiatus.
1. Mission Scroll

Summary: Iruka and a group of Jounin and Chuunin are sent to retrieve one Harry Potter and protect him for the entire year. However, they should have realized that absolutely nothing as it seems. slash and darker themes.

Warning: Swearing, Violence, Character deaths, sex, Child abuse, implications of rape, mild (Perhaps) bashing of Sasuke, Kakashi, maybe Ron, and maybe Sakura. Selfish! Council.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto which belongs to Kishimoto and Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling make sure to support the official release of both fandoms.

Confirmed Pairings: Eventually Hayate/Iruka established Kotetsu/Izumo established Genma/Raidou eventually Anko/Gai implied Asuma/Kurenai pending Gaara/Luna pending Lee/Sakura pending Lee/Luna pending Tenten/Neville pending Neji/Hermione pending Lee/Hermione

* * *

Chapter One: Mission Scroll

This was not happening. This COULD NOT be happening.

Umino Iruka, a simply Chuunin of Konohagakure was being sent on a mission. Not just a mission, but one year time mission. Him as the team captain plus his OWN as well. The brunette haired man felt rather overwhelmed, sitting at his desk staring into space. Of course, the man was happy that the Hokage trusted him with an outside mission to this 'England' place! Though, it didn't stop him from wondering what he had done to impress the man so much? The man was nothing more then a simple Academy teacher! Shouldn't he have selected someone of higher rank like a Jounin? His hands circled around the scroll, struggling and debating whether or not to look at the contents of the mission scroll; the Hokage did not say NOT to look at it before he choose his team. Having his lips curl, the man leaned back onto his chair shifting his gaze towards the ceiling his mind circulating of whom to bring with him. Kotetsu and Izumo were a definite, the man thought with a tiny smile. He missed the days where the three of them fought along side each other only to be reduced to desk work and split apart with their different jobs, Iruka shook his head with a fond smile at that.

It also helped that Izumo and Kotetsu were both Ninjutsu specialist, and excelled with weaponry. Though, they were still far off from being the best in Konoha; the title of Weapon Master belonged to the Higarashi Family, in fact Iruka mused to himself looking through his memory; Higarashi Tenten was on Team Nine. Nodding slowly, nearly cringe at remembering what team she had been placed on. All of his sympathy went to her, being forced to train under Maito Gai, his mini-clone Rock Lee and of course the Hyuuga Prodigy; Neji.

A Genjutsu specialist was also needed, though Kurenai was already out of the village with her team for a mission. Iruka recalled faintly as his mind search for another candidate; Shiranui Genma, longtime friend and mentor... of things that Iruka preferred to keep to himself; had a speciality in Taijutsu and Genjutsu. The Chuunin was rather certain that the other man would enjoy going out on a mission with him, as a predatory smirk appeared upon his handsome features as he gathered up his things. Though wherever Genma went, so did Raidou. Not that Iruka minded. Raidou was a nice, if a but quiet man. Nodding his head, Iruka made a mental note to talk with Raidou just incase. After all, the instructor wasn't even sure just who was available-

"IRUUKKA!" A loud and hyper voice entered his voice, nearly catching him off guard. Tight arms wrapped around his neck and felt skin rub against the neck, Iruka had absolutely no problem placing the dark colored locks that reached his eyes.

Smiling softly, Iruka closed his eyes and relaxed into the cheerful embrace. "Hey Anko, what's up?"

The woman in question pouted, releasing the man. "How did you know it was me Ru-ru?" Folding her arms and looking at him bambi-like eyes much to the man's ire. Iruka HATED being called Ru-ru ESPECIALLY by Anko, while she was his best and closet (female) friend, there were time where he wondered if Anko was simply his friend just to embarrass him thoroughly. "Anyway," Shrugging as she began to grin rather widely," I just came from the Hokage office and guess what I heard?" Before he was even given a chance to reply the Tokubetsu Jounin answered for him. "You got an mission AND word is, your looking for a team mate!" Her smile widened cheekily much to the man's horror and realization. "Soooo?"

Iruka laughed nervously, backing up to the desk. "Sooo... what exactly?"

"Oh come ON Ruka-chan!" Iruka's eyes twitched as the woman glared at him. "Invite me on your team! Please! I promise I'll be good!" She fluttered her eyebrows rather childish and girly, Iruka was use to it though and absolutely immune. The words 'girly' were never to be associated with Mitarashi Anko. EVER. Pouting," Pleeeease Ruka I mean, who else are you going to take with you?"

"Well Kotetsu and Izumo." Iruka pipped up.

Anko snorted. "As if there was any doubt."

"I'm thinking about asking Genma-san to come along with us." Iruka told his friend the air of foolishness vanished as he regarded her carefully. "Though, your skills would work well... for whatever this mission is." He shrugged holding up the mission scroll towards her.

"You accepted a mission, and you have no idea of what to do?" Anko began slowly, raising an eyebrow. "What are you and what have you done to Iruka?"

The Chuunin snorted loudly. "Please, do you honestly think I would accept a mission without asking or being informed first?" She raised an eyebrow. "Okay, accepting THAT one mission was NOT my fault. In my defensive that Hatake asshat forced on me before leaving!" He seethed vehemently crossing his arms, and eyeing the woman with heavy disappointment. Everyone already knew how much Iruka's...dislike of Kakashi ran and his rather interesting or rather unorthodox methods. There was also the fact that Iruka had originally been against the idea of placing his honorary little brother with the silver haired man plus the Uciha heir and the Haruno girl, for the life of her and those closet to Iruka didn't really understand why he had been so against the team line up.

Unfortunately what was done, was done.

"So Kotetsu, Izumo, you and me?" Anko grinned widely before the smile vanished. "And the Senbon sucker." Her face faulted for a bit, causing the man to snicker at the comment. Sliding against the desk, the woman eyed her friend carefully. "So will is just be five?"

"...To be honest, I was thinking of asking Raidou and..." Iruka hesitated a bit as he eyed the area. "And... maybe, Hayate."

Anko sucked in her breath tightly. "Ya sure you want to do that skipper?"

"Why...?" Iruka asked sharply, eyeing her carefully. While Hayate may not be the most healthiest man in the world, the swordsman was a fellow Konoha-nin and a very nice man. If anything, Hayate deserved to be treated like every other capable Shinobi illness or not.

"Nothing." Anko quickly closed the subject not wanting it to go any further then it had to be. Forcing a smile," So what does the mission scroll say?"

Iruka tilted his head and hummed bemused. "Hehehe," A sly grin. "I don't know Anko," scratching his chin with a glint in his eyes."I think I might as well, just keep you suspense-" Before he was able to get further the weight of his body began to increase the woman jumped him stretching her arms out trying to grab the scroll. "G-get off of me Anko!"

"Give me that damn scroll!" The crazed Jounin cried out, kneeing the man in the stomach. Her fingers were just inches away from having it wrapped with in her palm, Anko licked her lips seductively as the adrenaline within her body rushed through her. She just couldn't help it; a mission outside of the village! The purple haired woman just knew that the scroll was an B or A rank mission at the very least, the giddy feeling that she had already confirmed it. As the chair began to tip over she knew that it was her chance. Stepping on Iruka's leg and absolute ignoring the painful cry that escaped her friend's lips, the woman jumped into the air and grabbed the scroll before using her free hand to balance her before landing gracefully straight onto the ground. Iruka, unfortunately landed side first. "Yosh! I've got it!" A cackle escaped her lips.

"A...nko..." Iruka gasped out, using his elbow to support himself staring at the other Shinobi. His eyes widened in horror as the woman opened the scroll watching as Anko's facial expression turned stoic and her eyes narrowed into dark slits. Standing himself up and whipping the dust off of his pants, Iruka frowned. "So what does the Mission Scroll say?"

"It's seems to be a Guard Mission." Anko murmured as her eyes ran over the scroll. "We're to retrieve one Potter Harry-san and move him to this place called the Leaky Cauldron, and protect him from there on." Turning towards the Chuunin. "The scroll always says that we'll be debriefed further about our mission by a man called Dumbledore Albus." The names definitely were not from the Elemental Countries, that much was obvious to Anko. "The team, well your team, will be divided into two different groups; Staff and student." Eyebrows knitted together. "Student and Staff? We're supposed to be teaching?" Before re-reading the scroll. "At a MAGIC school?"

Iruka groaned, he knew of course that one of them would be taking over a class but more then one? The brunette could already see just what could go wrong. "Yes Anko," Iruka stated exasperated before snatching the scroll away from her and placing it in his pocket. "I already knew about the teaching part - and what do you exactly mean we?" His eyes narrowed dangerous. He didn't like sharing his domain with just anyone, not offense to Anko of course however she really had no talent with children.

Iruka frozen as his mind registered what Anko said lastly.

"MAGIC?"

* * *

Getting into a brand new country wasn't as difficult or hard as Iruka had originally thought it would be.

Now getting use to the strange and creepy perfecting looking house, was something ENTIRELY different. Izumo and Kotetsu were eyeing the houses warily, each and every last one of them looked like. Each absolute and totally perfect, no leaf was left untouched and no grass left uncut. It was quite nerving really. It took nearly all of Iruka's will power to keep walking and not try to dispell the Genjutsu (was it a genjutsu?) that was over this entire block, then the Chuunin still couldn't believe that areas...places, likes these actually existed outside horror novels. The man cringe glancing at Anko, whom was busy gripping on Genma, with Hayate looking around highly annoyed and rather agitated at the area that seemed to causing the strange nerves. He supposed the swordsman could read their body language quiet skillfully or was just really good at reading people in general-not that any of them tried to hide their discomfort.

"I'm really, really, really glad that the address had the place where the gaki is being held." Genma murmured shifting his eyes around while sucking on his senbon that was in his mouth. The Tokubetsu Jounin came along mainly because Iruka was going, Raidou would have come to if he hadn't already been assigned a mission. The honey brunette kept on eyeing the strange houses. "Man, what do these do all day? Clean to make sure everything is nice and tidy?"

Anko raised an eyebrow. "Maybe their compensating for something, who knows?" Shrugging. "Civilians are weird like that."

"Now, now don't be mean Anko." Iruka chided, though secretly agreeing with her not that he would ever admit it. The man was far to nice for insults, except of course if they were the enemy or a traitor like a certain silver haired and now dead Chuunin. Not that Iruka even cared the slightest about that bastard, the shadows of the night covered the cold and emotionless smile of the Shinobi that Iruka knew deep down that he was. While Iruka dislike killing, when push came to shove the man had no problem with eliminating the enemy. After all, a dark glint appeared within his eyes, Iruka would never allow anyone to harm those important to him. His chocolate brown eyes gazed at the numbers," 4... where is number 4?"

"Thank God that Scroll had the decency to have the address on it," Genma remarked trying to pull Anko off of him, while looking around and mentally keeping track of the numbers that passed through his eyes. His eyes danced with mirth," There it is!" pointing towards the house with a lazy grin. "Found it."

"Good work Genma-san." Iruka murmured as his Team moved closer straight towards the house, eyeing the same way they had with all the other houses. As they approach the house Iruka quickly switched with Kotetsu, whom was fluent in English for some odd reason which he never questioned or asked the other Chuunin about, along with native language of course and oddly french. Standing to the side of the door, Iruka pressed the door bell and waited as rough sounds began to echo through the house.

When the door opened, they were greeted by a rather large man that reminded Iruka of a just whale, with a mustache. "Yes?" The man asked strained, his face utterly red with anger eyeing the carefully before sneering at their appearance. "Can I help all of you?"

"I apologize for disturbing your evening, sir." Kotetsu began politely acting professional with a stoic look on his face. Clearing his throat before continuing, his eyes narrowed to look inside of the house. "My associates and I are here to retrieve one Harry Potter from your house-"

"THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER!" The man boomed loudly spitting straight into Kotetsu's face glaring, the man's red faced turned into an interesting shade of violet. "NOW GO AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK!" Slamming the door in their faces leaving the Konoha Team rather stunned and bewildered by that act, each of them traded a glance before raising an eyebrow at the man's emotional distress. What exactly was going on here? Kotetsu simply decided to ring the door bell again. It was the polite thing to do of course.

No one answered.

The Chuunin rang again, with Anko tapping her foot impatiently and irritably.

Iruka was also starting to get a bit impatient," Izumo?" The Chuunin looked at him. "Can you sense to see how many people are in the house?"

"Right-o!" Izumo chirped with a large grin on his face. Placing his hands together and spreading out his chakra to sense the people with in the house, three of them were sitting downstairs-the large man being one of them. Izumo was able to recognize his Chakra signature before his sense moved towards upstairs-

Izumo's eyes snapped open. "Kotetsu break the door down, NOW!"

Kotetsu didn't even need to ask, driving his fist backwards and punching it straight through the wall. The echos of screams and cries reached their ears while Kotetsu slammed another fist straight through the door, then switched his fist for his foot and kicked the door down. The loud thumb was heard as they all entered the house and saw the large man ranting with a gun, threatening to shoot them and having his wife; the woman that oddly reminded Iruka of a house to call the place. The small fat boy, was probably their cild, clinging pathetically the horse-looking woman eyeing them with fear. If there was one thing that Iruka hated, it was spoiled immature brats. It was pathetic how they constantly ran towards their parents and relied upon them for everything. The world wasn't as forgiving or kind, someone of them learned harshly while others learned far too late, this boy looked like one of them really.

The man's gun was still raised pointing towards them. "I'm warning you! I'll shoot-" The man cried out furiously, his face still a mixture of red and purple. Getting rather bored with the tedious and simplistic threat Anko rushed forward with her kunai, followed behind her was Hayate with his sword gripped with in his hands together they slashed the gun causing it to slip to the ground. Switching hands, Hayate pointed the end of his blade straight towards the man's neck while Anko, quickly shattered the telephone. Raido and Genma were outside, using Genjutsu to prevent any of them neighbors from noticing anything wrong. It wouldn't do well if civilian blood was spilled, Iruka told himself as he eyed the three dangerously. Glancing at Kotetsu and Izumo. "Where is he?"

"Upstairs," Izumo answered quickly, already making his way upstairs. "Keep them busy, while Kotetsu and I will go." The spiky haired man jumped over the railing, following Izumo upstairs. The two Chuunin made their way down the hall of the room, glancing at it carefully. Izumo's eyes shifted between the rooms trying to find the one where the child was, only for to land on it. "This one!" Launching forward, the man gripped the doorknob and began to twist it only for it not to budge. "Damn it, it's looked."

Kotetsu placed his hand on Izumo's shoulder. "Leave it to me!" Grinning, he moved in front of Izumo placing one of his hands into his pocket and pulling out a hair pin. "Hehehehe..." Kneeling downwards, the man's eyes narrowed and bit on his lip as a click was heard. "There we go!" Turning towards the other Chuunin. "This is one was far easier then the other ones!" Folding an arm over his head, while Izumo snorted with bemuse moment before opening the door.

Before them, was absolute horrifying.

The boy, whom they assumed was Harry Potter, was laying still, in his own blood. WIth no clothes on, bruises and marks absolute fresh from what they could tell.

"Thi...this is disgusting..." Izumo whispered strained.

Kotetsu nodded his head, hesitantly and slowly making his way over towards the door. "Can you hear me kid?" His voice low and soft, trying not to scare the child in question. His eyes scanned over the body, trying to figure out where to lift him. His eyes meet with a pair of dulled and despairing green eyes. "Your going to be okay, alright." The Chuunin told the boy firmly, the child stared him blankly. "Tell me where do you hurt?"

"A...all over..." The boy murmured struggling to keep his breath. The hoarse and tight voice made Kotetsu wondered when the child had eaten last let alone had something to drink. Cursing in his native language, Kotetsu carefully lifted the boy up causing him to wince visible.

Kotetsu stared at him. "Go to sleep, kid. We'll be here when you wake up." The dulled eyes were filled with questions as they slowly began to shut. Neither of the Chuunin knew if this was a good thing or a bad thing, however Izumo made sure to keep an eye on his Chakra signature to make sure the boy was alive.

As they made their way downstairs, Iruka's eyes instantly locked on to the child.

No one even saw Iruka move as he pressed his Kunai straight to the large man's neck. "You and your entirely family are sincerely LUCKY that none of us can kill you on this mission." The Chuunin stressed out coldly, his eyes filled with hatred and dark intentions. "Let me assure you, he is NEVER coming back here. Not if I have something to say about it. Got it?" His voice flat and steely like the winter, his eyes promising more then just pain and suffering towards their direction if they even made contact with the boy.

Removing his weapon, Iruka turned briskly towards the door slowly followed by Izumo and Kotetsu.

Hayate carefully placed his sword back into it's sheath before glaring at the large man. "...your worse the trash. Your a monster." Walking away, Anko hissed at them coldly before joining her team to the outside. The horse-looking woman slipped down to the floor as she wrapped her arms around her legs; placing head onto her knees. The stream of tears flowed down like a river.

Just what had she done?

* * *

Author's Note: I've always wondered what would have happened if some of the more experienced Shinobi of Konoha had gotten the protect mission rather then the Genin, mainly because I've never understood why people think that they would be assigned to such a high ranking mission. So, instead of taking that route, I did something different. Use the lesser and minor characters instead with throwing in my own little twist: What if Harry never escaped the Dursleys house after Marge got turned into a balloon? I don't think Vernon would have been happy. At all. Plus, I like Iruka better then Kakashi anyway.

Also, the reason why I think Iruka would be against Team Seven is well; how would you feel if your little brother was placed on a team that already vocalized their hatred for him? And throw in a lazy and totally less-then competent teacher like Kakashi? yeah, no. Though I'll admit, I liked Kakashi and Sakura AFTER the time skip. In the beginning? Not so much. So I'll leave it to you, the reviewers to see whether or not I should stick to bashing just Sasuke or Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi. Also for whom Harry and Naruto's pairing... don't bother asking. That was planned WAAAY ahead of time. You'll see know when I bring it in. And no, it isn't anyone from the Wizarding world. ESPECIALLY not Malfoy.

Also, I do plan to Harry to be trained to be Shinobi, I just haven't decided what to do with him:

1) Medic-Nin with Taijutsu (Male! Tsunade)

2) Ninjutsu and Fuuinjutsu (Minato clone)

3) Other ideas: please make sure to explain reasons why.

One more thing: I would prefer it if I received constrictive criticism rather then the "I love it! Update soon!" reviews, as much as I like those types of reviews I want to see where I am going wrong and what I can do to improve my writing. I apologize if I have offend any of you. And, anyone want to beta for me?


	2. Forward

Chapter Two: Forward

"How is he?"

Kotetsu frowned, the boy cradled within his arms trying to keep the exposed child warm and protected from the harsh cold winds blew against them. Removing one of his gloves, the Chuunin tilted his hand, placing it upon the young boy's forehead, the frown grew and his eyebrows drew together.

"The kid's burning up, it should be a minor fever. But, I think it would be best for us to find a suitable location for us to get some rest and food." Kotetsu answered, his onyx eyes trained upon the sleeping child. The Chuunin carefully shifted the position in his arms in order to slip the glove back on, a small smile slipped across his face as the young boy buried his head into his chest. Contrary to popular belief, Kotetsu did have a soft spot for kids. As quickly as the smile had appeared it vanished. His eyes moved around the room, a hint of disapproval buried in them.

Hayate frowned, the sword strapped against his back. "What's wrong?"

"..." The Chuunin briefly closed his eyes, ignoring the Jounin and looking towards their Team Captain. "Iruka-Taichou," The emphasis on the word made Iruka blink, suddenly remembering his position. The spiky haired man realized that his friend probably wasn't used to the respect that the title had given to him, so Kotetsu could understand how easily bewildered the scarred man would get, however, now was not the time for that. "With all due respect, Taichou. I highly doubt that the... civilian authorities would be so sympathetic to our plight after witnessing us carrying the kid naked."

Genma snorted, while Hayate looked a bit miffed at being ignored. "Gee, whatEVER gave you that idea Tetsu?" The usually lazy Tokubetsu Jounin remarked dryly, slipping his hands straight into his pocket. He glanced at the kid before letting out a loud and audible sigh. "You are right however, civilian authorities wouldn't understand nor would they be so willing to hear us out. Especially since all of us-err... except Anko of course," The purple haired woman glared at him threateningly. "You know," waving his hand around them. "Men."

Iruka and Izumo exchanged a look, not entirely understanding the point Genma was trying to get across. Raidoh cleared his throat as he spoke up. "What Genma is trying to say, Iruka-taichou-" Pausing as the young Chuunin flamed with embarrassment, a small smile appeared on the normally quiet man's face. "That it wouldn't look good for a naked kid to be carried around with a bunch of guys."

"Then cast a Genjutsu over us ding-dong, can't be that hard!" Anko snapped at them with her eyes narrowed, her tone made it seem like she was talking to a bunch of three year olds. The dango-loving kunoichi crossed her arms and turned to Iruka. "Didn't the scroll say to take him to this Leaky Cauldron place or something?" Her eyebrow raised.

Iruka stared at her. His eyes blinked rapidly until the message sunk in. "Oh right!" The brunette haired man dug straight into his pocket, freezing for a moment looking straight at Genma and Raidou. "You two mind using another Genjutsu?" The reason didn't even need to be explained.

"Right, right. Coming up Iruka-taichou," Genma slurred out with a lazy salute. His jaw stretched out exposing the body of the senbon being held in place by his white shining teeth, turning his back towards the group as Raidou stood beside him. Quickly making the seals necessary for the Genjutsu to be activated.

"Nipou: Hito o Damasuyou na Bijonfuniki! _(Ninja Arts: Deceptive Vision Aura!) _

The leaves attached the trees were torn off and, as if on a mission, moved straight towards them before twisting and turning in a circular motion, the winds surrounded them in a quick and harsh breeze resembling a gray tornado. It vanished right on the spot, leaving them standing there in a well developed illusion-

"WHAT THE HELL AM I WEARING GENMA YOU ROTTEN BASTARD!"

Well... somewhat well developed anyway.

Iruka turned, as his lips began to twist into almost sadistic... no, a pure and utter vindictive smile as his eyes danced with absolute glee and mirth. There, Mitarashi Anko, feared Jounin through out all of Konoha for her brutal and insane methods, and techniques as well as being the former apprentice and student to the traitor Orochimaru.

Was now currently wearing a long pink skirt with a light blue blouse and a white shirt underneath. The whole thing just screamed girly-girl. One of the very things that Anko hated (other then Orochimaru, of course). The woman's eyes twitched dangerously the killing intent leaked like a faucet her attention fully locked on to her target: Genma.

The lazy senbon chewing man's eyes bugged out as his arms reached out and grabbed Izumo, using him as his personal meat shield. "I have absolutely nothing to do with it, Anko-sama!" His voice strained with a nervous and frightened look on the man's face, ducking behind the equally scared Chuunin. "I have a shield!" He weakly added in his defense.

"Hmmmm..." Kotetsu whom was completely and utterly ignoring the chaotic scene being played before him, looked back towards the direction of the house and then back at the home. The frown seemed etched onto his face permanently from what Iruka could see; though the other man was a bit more optimistic than he was all things considering. "Maybe..." The spiky haired man seemed to be contemplating about something, as the scarred Shinobi decided to act as the team Captain (ignoring the other two and their cries for help) with Raidou and Hayate began discussing the wages for their bets between Genma and Anko. Feeling the pressure, Kotetsu looked over to other man. "Iruka..."

"What's wrong Kotetsu?" Iruka asked concerned.

The man glanced backwards. "I feel a bit bad, leaving the kids stuff there..." _If it's still around. _Which had been left unsaid, "Was it even wise for us to leave it there without grabbing it?" The weight of the stuff could have hindered the mission, Iruka thought to himself eyeing the other Chuunin. The child's stuff could be very well be just as important too, glancing at the sleeping boy, his brown eyes shifted towards the ground. Was it even their right or duty to leave there in the first place? Then again, it was never included in the mission anyway. Common sense dictated that it would have been obvious to bring it with them while his Shinobi side told him to leave it, and simply bring the boy instead.

"I'llgogetthestuffandI''sgo!" That was all said pretty damn fast and was done too quickly, the man grabbed Raidou by the collar and vanished from site leaving behind two bewildered Chuunins, an amused Jounin, an angry Tokubetsu Jounin and finally worried Chuunin within the wake of the dust cloud.

Hayate, being whom he was had an idea how to lighten up the air. "Well, at least we don't look suspicious anymore."

"...Shut up Hayate. Just... shut up."

Needlessly to say the animalistic family, or the title that Genma happily came up with "The normal freakies" were anything BUT happy to see him arrive much to his oh-so-surprised and 'bewildered' look. However, the family realised that they were not being punished no matter how much the Jounin wanted to carve discipline into their small peanut sized brains, the man realised that not even therapy or any type of Jutsu could ever be use to increase their brain power, it would have been a waste of energy and resources anyway. The team had been mildly surprised to discover the boy only had a trunk, a very small one they noted and filed away for later. It only held several books written in english, some clothes that both too small for the boy AND way too big, with a strange small broom that looked like it had been shrunk. None of them wanted to know why there was a broom in there. Other than that, the kid really didn't have much.

Anko and Iruka were pissed beyond belief and the powerful anger could be felt form miles away, the two sending promises of death and pain towards the house. Genma simply was so happily that the psychotic woman had turned all of her attention towards those that fat whale and that horse-looking wife. He was free. For now.

"Those bastards," She hissed, clutching her hand into a fist. The red lines could be seen within the darkness of the night and her jaw clenched against the night air while sending a dark look into the sky. Anko knew what it was like being forced to endure all of that pain, and that suffering. The memories and images of Orochimaru began to awaken deep in her mind until she shook her head violently. Those bastards didn't deserve to be called people, let alone humans! They were a disgrace to the entire planet.

Iruka shot her a sharp glare. "Anko." His words were cold and sharp like steel.

A stilled air fell over them. Anko and Iruka seemed to be stuck in a standstill while the other's watched with apprehension and wonder.

"...Fine. Whatever." Anko looked way, with a snarl.

Raidoh blinked, as the trunk remained opened and noticed a long thick black stick. He eyed it curiously," I wonder what this is?" He murmured softly, staring at the object with wonder.

"I..." Hayate let out a harsh cough, while blinking at the object tiredly. "I-it's called a wand, the magic people... wizards use them to channel their powers through it." The ill looking man used the nearest tree to support himself falling straight into his coughing fit, much to the group's sympathy.

Genma grinned pervertedly, "A wand, huh? Hehehehehe reminds me of a dil-"

" sentence and. DIE." Iruka growled at him dangerously.

The man instantly held up his arms in defense. "O-of course not, I would never dream of finishing it!" His eye twitched when Raidou's voice ("Oh yes you would") reached his ear only to be shortly followed by ("He'd probably a bit more then just that") Hayate added for his senpai. Quickly rounding on the two furiously," AREN'T YOU TWO SUPPOSED TO ON MY SIDE?"

Raidoh and Hayate looked at one another. Raised eyebrow then looked at Genma, as if he was an idiot. "We value our lives thank you." The two stated in unison with a deadpan tone.

"TRAITORS!" Genma snapped hurtling his hands straight into the air and-

BANG!

The sheer force of the blinding light the emerged was enough to send the lazy Jounin falling straight on to his ass, much to Anko's amusement. The woman let out a vengeful but gleeful cackle, Raidou simply rolled his eyes while turning his attention towards the rather large vehicle in front of them; it had sent of wheels two of them at the front with two at the back. The strange vehicle was painted into deep violet alongside and it had golden painted letters along the side that said: Knight Bus. He turned towards the door as a young man, somewhere in his late teens stepped out wearing a suit in the exactly same colors as the vehicle.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus," The teen's voice was loud but his accent made it rather difficult to decipher. "Emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard just stick out your wand-" He abruptly cut off by Anko, who pushed him out of the way. "Oof, 'choo that for?" He groaned rubbing his arm glaring at the woman until it faltered when the teen found himself at the receiving end of Anko's glares. "I-I m-mean..."

"You mean what exactly, huh kid? C'mon tell I'd like to know what you were doing, boring a beautiful girl like me, huh?" Anko placed her hands on her hips facing the young teen before shoving her off face just a brush away from his. "Don't just sit there, tell me already! or am I going to have to get creative over here?" The tone was playful but with a lingering threat that caused the young boy to pale instantly. Her eyes shimmered brightly in the night. "Huh?"

"That's enough Anko, stop giving the a hard time, he'll have nightmares for the rest of his life." Hayate stated, a small smirk on his face. The poor kid looked too traumatized and frightened to move from the spot he was sitting on, taking the advantage the swordsman walked pass them fully knowing that Anko would probably yell loudly at him later. Turning towards the Jounin and Izumo," Are you two going to sit there or you going to get your asses in gear?"

The two responded with an owlish blink.

"GET MOVING OR ELSE YOU'LL MEET THE END OF MY KUNAI!" Anko shouted at them, finally losing her temper.

Izumo and Genma boarded the Knight Bus post-hate with the trunk. Neither one wished to feel the woman's wrath, Kotetsu climb board not to long after while Iruka helped the young teenager up before following his comrades straight onto the bus. Iruka froze for a moment sense a strange presence as he turned swiftly with a kunai held tightly within his palm, his brown orbs narrowed coldly as they scanned the area behind him; not once moving from the spot backing up straight past the doors of the Knight Bus, watching as the door closed tightly. Placing the kunai back straight into his pouch the Academy instructor turned and stared at surprise to seeing beds, all lined up together. For some reason it reminded of an asylum.

"S-so w-where too?" The man stuttered out his eyes shifted from one of them to the other, fearing for his life.

"The Leaky Cauldron if you don't mind, and I'm sorry for my friend's behavior. She can be quiet difficult to handle-" ("HEY!") Iruka apologized to the bewildered boy, whom nodded star struck. Turning around the Captain of the team looked to see Kotetsu sitting beside the young boy, it sickened the Academy teacher in a way. The smell of blood still remained fresh to his nostrils however the wounds on the boy's body didn't open or spill unnecessary blood for that reason alone, Iruka was glad. The brunette took a seat besides Anko as he felt his muscles relax from being able to occupy this strange vehicle and get the kid to safety, spreading his arms backwards while his leaned his back towards the opposite direction where Izumo and Genma where sitting, far away from the crazed Kunoichi and himself while Hayate stationed himself on the other side of the kid's bed.

Like a kunai rushing towards it's target, Iruka felt the pull of gravity feeling the intense and furious speed. Trying to hold on, the man grabbed on the edge trying not go flying straight into a wall as he turned his head, the Konoha-nin felt his eyes widen. Passing by houses, tress, lampposts-EVERYTHING at a high velocity.

"Ofph!" Genma groaned, rubbing his head. "That hurt..."

Izumo's body began to stretch out like a cat, muscles arched upwards. "G... get off of me Genma..."

"Whoops, sorry."

Iruka sighed, shaking his head. Glancing towards the door as the young teen was helping a woman, garbed in green a "Miss Marsh" if he wasn't mistaken, before allowing his body to prepare for the next impact of speed to pull against him.

Kotetsu continued to watch over the boy not allowing himself to be distracted by the meaningless and somewhat inane scenarios that were being played out through the corner of his eyes, at the moment his main priority was making sure that the kid was safe and sound. Granted, between Izumo and himself, Kotetsu was the funny man. The spiky haired man would slack off every now and then, prank people (to Izumo's amusement and shame) though nothing that couldn't be undone or washed off, but even then the Chuunin knew exactly when and how to be serious when the situation called for it. His eyes flashed for a moment while his throat tightened as memory began to slam against the doors to his mind. For a very brief moment the dark orbs looked over towards Iruka, whom was holding on to the edges of the bed for fear of his life. His lips twitched before looking down at the kid again, watching carefully, Hayate was busy keeping an eye out for the door and windows in case of an enemy attack. Though the chances seemed rather slim to none.

The man didn't fully understand who the kid needed protection from, other than from his family of course. The Chuunin scowled at them, but at least the kid wouldn't be returning there. Not if he knew Iruka well, which Kotetsu knew that he did.

"I wonder how fast we're going," Hayate murmured staring at the window blankly.

Kotestu silently raised an eyebrow at that.

The swordsman, of course, found himself rather content staring at the window and ignoring the silent gesture of his team mate. The frail, ill-looking man couldn't help but feel sympathy towards the young boy that laid deeply in his sleep, being treated like that must have been horrible growing up. Hayate wasn't an idiot, just by observing the reactions of the three animals...no, that was far too kind of a title for them, Hayate decided with a dark nod. They were less than animals, less even than monsters. The man remembered calling them distinctively before evacuating the vacancy, not that Hayate even wanted to stay there; no. Yugao would never forgive if he stayed a minute longer inside the god awful barn of a house, the swordsman thought to himself with wryly. The man was forced to admit that he really had no experience with kids unfortunately, since growing up within the Gekkou Compound the majority of his life was spent either at the Academy training or training at the Dojo learning the necessary family techniques, ritual and proper etiquette. It did explain his rather calm and mature attitude towards people not that anyone knew, Hayate didn't believe it was anyone's business for that matter either.

That didn't stop the swordsman from wondering... thinking, his bored-like gaze rested upon the young sleeping child before him. If he hadn't had a proper family and remained isolated from the rest of the world, with no friends or people to help. Would he have ended up like this child?

Shiranui Genma was lazy ass, that much the man already knew. If anyone asked him if he had a tragic past that made him that way Genma knew that he'd be lying if he said yes. The brunette didn't have a sad or dark past like Anko, Iruka or even the kid that was lying there on the bed. Nope, Genma was just lazy. Pure and simple. However, that didn't mean he was weak or idiotic. No, the man held a strong will backed up with powerful strength and a resourceful mind the problem was that he just didn't feel like exposing them and really as a certain Nara would say it was far "too troublesome" in his opinion. The Tokubetsu Jounin would rather look and watch from the sidelines then to jump straight into the action, unless the situation called for it.

Still analyzating was something that Genma took pride in, and from the information the Tokubetsu Jounin was able to gather and summarize for the kid: A possible Genin. Whether or not the kid would accept and take it was something the man was unsure of, though simply looking at the sleeping raven; Genma was able to tell this: He would be a talented Shinobi. From what the man could sense from the boy, was that he had killer Chakra reserves that slept deep inside of him and if Genma had to classify them; either High Chuunin to Low Jounin level at the very least, and that was impressive for an untrained civilian. (1).

Now, how was he going to convince him to become one?

"Ne, Iruka?" The brunette man looked over towards Izumo, who was staring intensely at him. "Did the mission scroll say anything about why were heading to this Hogwarts place?" The word slipped out of his tongue slowly, tasting it with interest and wonder. The foreign term was strange to the young man," I mean, their had to be a reason why we were requested." And just why they had been sent to retrieving a near, dying boy and also find out who placed the kid there, so Izumo can introduce them to his fist. The Chuunin's eyes flashed red for a moment before it disappeared, the three animals and the kid were related; faintly but it had been there thus the logical conclusion would be that they were cousins. Which was another thing that got Izumo pissed off WHAT kind of family would treat one of their own as if they diseased?

For Izumo, family was everything.

The Chuunin came a clan family, though a minor one at that, family was family. They were close knitted and held together, ready to pick one another up if they had fallen. The Kamizuki clan was known through out Konoha for their open hearts and kindness, though their family jutsus were also held in high regard too. To be abused by a family member was rare, but hardly ever heard of within the Kamizuki, the fact that Izumo had stumbled upon something like this...

It was surreal for him.

"The scroll said that once we get to the Leaky Cauldron, we'd be debriefed further." Iruka answered, breaking the Chuunin out of his thoughts. The tanned man pressed his lips together while his eyebrow knitted together thinking of something. "The scroll did say we'd be split into Teacher and Student-"

"NOT IT!" Anko cried out.

Genma quickly snapped his head towards Iruka. "NOT IT!"

"N...-cough- not i-it!"

..."You didn't even let me finish." Iruka pouted, crossing his arms as the Knight Bus came towards a startling stop. "Anyway, I'm already been asked to be a teacher-"

Genma snorted as he mumbled to Izumo. "As if there was any contest..." Iruka threw a death glare towards him only to receive a happy-go lucky smile in return.

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted." Iruka shot another glare, Genma still smiled brightly. "We need a way to keep the teams balanced in order to carry out the mission," the man's eyes shifted over them. "But I get carried away, I would like to hear your sentiments before splitting in teams."

Raidou folded his fingers together and leaned forward. "...I don't mind being a teacher," the quiet man murmured, but loud enough for the rest of the team to hear. Glancing towards Iruka," It would allow me to help keep on eye better on the students..." He paused briefly. "And Genma, of course." Raidou added with a smirk on his face, much to Iruka's bemusement.

"HEY!" Genma's cry was ultimately ignored by the majority. Kotetsu titled his head and grinned, turning towards Izumo excitedly. "I wouldn't mind being a teenager again," he told his partner giddily, rubbing his hands together evilly. "Think of all the evil and chaos we can create!"

Izumo's lips twitched fondly, trying to look professional however failing. "Hehehe..." A chuckle escaped all while his eyes gleamed dangerously. The ideas of pranks slowly began to appear within his mind, the echos of the old days appearing. His smile widened menacingly.

Iruka turned his head away from them. "Just leave me out of your pranks!" He grunted darkly, not that he need too. Iruka would be able to counter their pranks with his own, anyway. After all Iruka was, and still is, hailed as the Master of Pranks of Konoha! Naruto, of course being his heir. Turning towards the others," And the rest of you?"

"Eh, since those two are going be going undercover, I'll lend ya a hand Ruka-chan." Anko beamed as the man shot her a glare," After all someone needs to help you keep those kids in tip-top shape!" The sadistic smile slid upon her beautiful features.

"...I suddenly feel sorry for the brats-Hphmm!"

Izumo sighed as he covered the other's mouth. "You talk entirely too much for your own good, Genma-san." Sending Iruka a tired look, Izumo gestured for him to continue.

"So that leaves Hayate and Genma left." Iruka summarized with a nod. Looking over at the ill looking man, biting his lip tightly as he tried to figure out what to say. The Chuunin didn't want to offend the other man by assigning him a role that the swordsman may review as offensive-

"I'll be a teacher."

...Well that was easy enough.

"Are you sure Haya-chan?" Genma asked, looking at the other man with concern.

Hayate gave him a blank look. "Yes." His tone firm and strong. "And don't call me Haya-can, Gen-chan." A side-smirk of victory after witnessing Genma twitch at the nickname.

"Well, if your sure Hayate-san." Iruka began slowly leveling the other man a look. It wasn't that he held any disbelief over the man's ability to act as a teacher or not, in fact Iruka had absolute faith in Hayate's abilities as a teacher. What he was concerned about was Hayate's health first and foremost, being an actually teacher Iruka knew all too well how stressful it could be. The man nearly hit himself for not thinking of bringing along a medic-nin incase of emergency, thus the man was forced to hope that the medical wards would be update with how to treat them and their injuries when it came to it. Pushing the negative thoughts out of his mind, the man nodded his head. "And you Genma?"

The lazy man waved dismissively. "I'll just be a student, that way I can keep an eye on the brats closely."

"Let's just hope you're not looking after the brats, knowing your track record." Raidou remarked not unkindly.

Genma bristled. "Hey! That happened once, and ONLY once!" the man defended himself vehemently, glaring at his friend fiercely.

The other's exchanged a quick look before thinking the same thing: _Do we even _**WANT **_to know?_

Suddenly, the Knight Bus came to a halt when the young teen came over towards them. "The Leaky Cauldron, sirs and miss!" The hint of fear still evident in his voice, eyeing them cautiously.

"Thank you," Iruka said to the teen, whom nodded in return. Turning towards Kotetsu, the spiky haired man already grabbed hold of the unconscious body while Genma and Izumo once again held onto the trunk. Good, the Chuunin thought to himself, as the other three quick maneuvered to form a triangular barrier around them. "Let's move out everyone." His tone low enough for them his team to hear them, as the six of them pilled off the bus without a moment's notice.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAIT!" The young teenager cried out, making them freeze within their place. Iruka noticed how panicked the boy look," You guys forgot to pay, you did!"

...Whoops.

"My 'oss will have me head, he will!" The young man cried out in vain, sweatbeads slipped down his face as he gripped his hair. "Please, at least pay for the ride; it's only fifteen sickles each!" Iruka looked at them, utterly confused to what the hell a sickle was, however the teen thought something entirely different. Following straight to his knees, the let out a blood-chocked cry. "Y...you're all broke..." tears slipped down his eyes now. "That's it. I'm done for!"

Iruka's eyes looked over his team, feeling rather nervous and bad for the kid. Anko, crossed her arms trying to look as if she didn't care, though the woman's eyes told a different story as she gave the young teen a look of pity. Izumo and Raidou gave the kid a small, and nerve racking smile while Kotetsu was busy trying to keep the kid warm from the pouring rain. Genma... well, he didn't really care all that much. Hayate coughed, ignoring everything surrounding him.

"Now, now. There's nothing you need to worry about Stan." A gentle, benevolent tone came that seemed to sooth the air around them. Iruka and his team blinked when they saw a old man, with a small red cap on his head wearing the most bizarre purple and blue robes with golden strips and white stars on them. Pasting by them absolutely obliviously to their incredulous stares, the man smile gently at him pouring some gold coins into the young teenager's hand. "There you go, that should be enough."

The teen didn't bother looking at the coins, his eyes bugged out and jaw unclenched. "Blimey... Professor Dumbledore!"

'_So this is Dumbledore Albus,' _Iruka mused to himself thoughtfully as he eyed the rather strange clothed man before him. Dumbledore-san oddly reminded him of the Hokage, though did not come off as a warrior type but rather an old respected scholar instead. The Chuunin noted, that he couldn't deny the powerful feel that was vibrating off of the old man either.

Dumbledore turned towards them and smiled jovially. "Ahh, you must be Umino Iruka, correct?"

"Hmmm? Oh ummm... Hai. Anata wa Dumbledore-san desu ne? (You must be Mr. Dumbledore, yes?)" Iruka responded in native tongue, his eyes narrowed confused as the man frowned before pulling out a strange looking stick murmuring under his breath.

The man nodded his head," Please. Once more."

"Huh? Oh, sure-I mean...HUH? I'm speaking english!" Iruka remarked absolutely astounded, noticing the change of languages. His team mates blinked in surprise, realizing that they as well, suddenly found themselves with ability to speak in English. "How am I doing this?"

"A simple translation charm, Mr. Umino, or shall I say Professor Umino." Dumbledore gave him a knowing nod, before gesturing towards the door. His entire body came to a halt when his eyes landed upon the body being held close by Kotetsu moving over towards the two, his eyes widened. "Is that..." His breath nearly lost and found himself utterly speechless. "Harry?"

Kotetsu's eyes instantly narrowed, sharply turning away from the man. "Yeah it is," His reply hard. "He will not be going back there." Better to get the message across now rather then later, the Chuunin thought to himself. His fingers wrapped tight around the child's body, but not enough that it harm or open the wounds.

Dumbledore's eyes meet with Kotetsu's. Neither one were willing to turn away or back down.

"We shall see."

A challenge, Kotetsu realized as they made their way into the Leaky Cauldron, absolutely ignoring the strange stares that they were receiving from the occupants of the bar. Dumbledore led them straight up stairs to what looked like to be a rather secure room, or what may came off as secure to him anyway. Noting the spar bed, Kotetsu gently laid Harry on to the bed watching carefully to make that the Genjutsu was still in place. Whether or not Dumbledore noticed the illusion or not was up to debate but that wasn't something to worry about right now, since this man appeared to be the one to further debrief the rest of their mission. Taking a seat next to Izumo, but close enough towards Harry, he waited carefully to hear what need to be said.

Genma lend towards the side of the door while Anko and Raidoh covered the windows, Hayate stood at the back of Iruka whom was sitting to the chair in front of Dumbledore.

The man eyed them all with a child, or was an adult? like curiosity. "First off, I would like to congratulate all of you on success of your first mission. And I apologize for not giving out more details pertaining to the other have of the mission, but since you were able to pass the first half I will now begin-"

"I apologize for interrupted you Dumbledore-san," Iruka stated cutting the man off while looking widely confused. "What do you exactly mean by pass?"

Dumbledore smiled. But it wasn't pleasant in the least. "You see, those whom wish to have ill-intent towards Harry wouldn't have been able to pass through the wards-" '_wards?' _"That is all."

"...Say, we did have ill-intent towards the kid," Genma spoke up, still rather curious to how they were able to 'pass' the first half the mission. His lips curled him as his slouchy stance changed into a professional one. "What would exactly would have happened to us?"

"You would have died." Dumbledore told them flatly. "Your Chakra coils, along with your mind plus your heart would instantly be sent on fire and either driven you insane or causing you to spontaneously combust, or many other gruesome deaths." The Shinobi instantly blanched at that.

"Good to know." Genma stated, his senbon nearly slipping out of his mouth.

Kotetsu wasn't impressed. "I don't see how the wards were helpful," The man chided coldly, shooting a steely look towards Dumbledore. "Those wards didn't protect Harry from those three animals!" Spitting at the man, with absolute disgust. "We found him, stripped of his FUCKING clothing and bleeding to death!" His voice wasn't loud but it was low and cold, "Tell me this Dumbledore-san: How were the wards supposed to protect the kid from his own family?" He watched the man's reaction carefully, and noticed a look of shock appear as the man's eyes flickered towards the sleeping boy. Genuine concern flashed through the man's eyes, Kotetsu considered this a point towards the man's favor.

"B-but how? Surely not..." The man murmured under his breath in disbelief.

Iruka gave Dumbledore a cold look. "I would suggest to stop denying it, Dumbledore-san. We saw it for ourselves, Harry was being treated less then kindly by his relatives." His words didn't hold the sugar-coating or softness that Iruka was know for. "Because of this, Harry is now under our protection. Whether or not he chooses to come to Konoha is up to him."

Dumbledore continued to gap in shock at the words that Iruka and Kotetsu had told him. "I..." thoughts and ideas quickly raced through his head, Harry as a Konoha citizen let alone a Shinobi? Those were both frightening prospects, however if Harry choose to go Dumbledore was unable to stop him. He need a plan, and fast. "See, well then gentlemen and lady," Eyebrows were raised which the wizard simply ignored. "Why don't I continue about the other part of your mission?" Better to steer away from the subject until he could think up a better plan.

Stiff nods all around.

Dumbledore had a feeling that this wouldn't let up. "Recently a mass murder known as Sirius Black as escaped the inescapable wizarding prison called; Azkaban. We have reasons to believe that Black has the intention to seek out and kill Harry for the sake of his fallen Master."

"Fallen Master? You lost me there man," Genma commented.

Dumbledore resisted the urge to sigh before indulging them in the story behind Harry and Voldemort, before following up with the many adventures that had occurred at Hogwarts during Harry's previous years at Hogwarts. Needlessly to say, once again none of the Shinobi were impressed with Dumbledore's view of protection while being somewhat impressed with Harry's skills, inevitably the part where he stabbed a giant FREACKING Basilisk and STILL loved to tell the tale though not that Harry would, want to anyway. From what the information that Iruka was able to gather: Harry was quiet, shy kid that had shit happened to him pretty much every single year. Oddly, it instantly reminded him of Naruto actually though the one thing Iruka thanked was the fact that the blonde boy wasn't being forced to fight evil megalomaniacs that hailed from the dead.

After all Demons existed, why couldn't vengeful spirits?

"So, every year this Volde-whatsits some how penetrates your school's defenses and targets Harry. Only Harry." Kotetsu emphasis upon Harry's name while eyeing Dumbledore, as if he was a giant idiot. The spikey haired man's opinion of the Headmaster was quickly diminishing. He crossed his arms," And you haven't done anything to stop future attacks?" His tone held a warning that seemed to either be ignored by Dumbledore or just never got across as the wizard looked at him with a perplexed stare.

"Why would I change the defenses around the school?" His tone was confused and a bit taken back by the comment. Though an air of arrogance echoed through the ears of the Shinobi present in the room, the man continued as if Kotetsu never asked the question. "Since it seems that Harry needs some help-"

_'SOME _HELP! What kind of person are you!' Iruka's and Kotetsu's inner parental selves roared angrily, at the easy dismissal on the old goat's part. Couldn't he see that Harry need more just just some help? Was the man truly blind and sure of himself as he seemed to portray.

"With all due respect, sir." Izumo's voice cut in like a whip but his tone was far from being friendly. The white within his eyes slowly began to turn black all while addressing the Headmaster," I believe it be in Harry's favor to transfer him to this... Hogwarts school of yours in order to get him medical attention. Unless, you see a problem with that..." His words trailed off leaving a tense air to fill in the blanks.

Dumbledore blinked at that.

Why hadn't they done that earlier?

* * *

It hurt...

It hurt so MUCH!

The sheer electrical jolts that sent through his body sent out the screams of shock to echo straight towards the brain, Harry knew that his Uncle had been less then happy with the inflation of his sister Marge-though in retrospective and vindictiveness, Harry felt utterly justified. Though, the boy cursed himself for placing his wand straight into his trunk. That idiotic move alone, nearly cost him his life. The only good thing that had come out of the matter was being able to save Hedwig, the snowy owl tried to fight off Vernon when the man slammed him against the wall until Harry had to order her flee to the Weasleys. His body had been laying upon the floor god knows how long, not that it mattered anyway.

Harry had sincerely doubted that anyone would be coming for him, any time soon anyway. The bones of his cheeks twitched rather cynically before loosing it's strength and faltering, not that he could move his body. The damage that his Uncle had inflicted upon had taken a new turn.

Being abused. Being hit or whacked with a hard object was something that Harry had grown accustom too since he was a young child, after all he was a 'freak' in their eyes. A monster.

However, Harry knew the truth. They were the monsters, not him; but that didn't stop him from question whether or not they were worth protecting against Voldemort every year. But again and again, being around Hermione and other students were a reminder to how many good people existed in the muggle world, innocence and kind people. Those types of people, the ones that were always worthy protecting. Even then, after the fiasco of Norbert the Dragon incident and the whole 'Heir of Slytherin' rumors that had circled around in the previous two years attending Hogwarts was starting to drive the nail into the screw, questioning the people and their minds. It had hurt, the boy would admit to himself how badly the other students treated him after the two events, people he had once trusted now only seen as fair-weather friends really. Those of two certain people appeared in his mind rather briefly before leaving, not that he had time to think about them.

Harry had to regulate his breathing properly, if he was going to stay alive.

Despite appearances, this wasn't the first time where Vernon had nearly tried to kill him. Harry thought grimly, remembering the winter season of when he was five. Coming home with an aced test, while Dudley had failed utterly miserably.

Some how, Vernon decided it had been Harry's fault for Dudley's failure. Thus decided to do something about it, taking him out straight to the shed and beating the life out of Harry. Vernon hated Harry with all of his fiber and being, but not even he would be so low as to go beyond what the fat man perceived as a simple "beating", not to mention that man was frightened of contaminating his skin by touch Harry anyway.

He remembered that punishment well, wincing as his bones cried out pain again as the tried to move them but to no success. The liquid feeling of his blood spreading through out the floor, the wounds on his body sent signals to warn him of the spilling red liquid.

Harry wondered if that meant that his time was up in this world? His eyes flickered opened briefly for a moment. Being killed by his muggle relatives while Voldemort and his followers never could, it was nearly ironic in a way, thinking to himself as the feeling of his chest rising and settling down told him, maybe... hopefully someone else would take care of Voldemort. It was selfish, Harry knew that. But couldn't he... couldn't he just this once be allowed to be selfish?

His body tingled feeling a strange force gaze over him, before quickly disappearing. The feeling that he had didn't feel malicious or have any ill-intent, but it was familiar either. It was foreign something that didn't exactly hail from England at all, from what he could tell. Not that Harry cared anyway, what was done was done. The very ideal of Hedwig being able to arrive at the Weasley's that fast could neigh improbable, deep within him though was a small glimmer of hope that shined. Praying...yearning for someone, anyone to come-

Loud sounds, the breaking of wood from what Harry could tell.

How long had been since he had been in room? He wasn't sure, what Harry was sure was. Someone had come. His heart skipped a beat for a moment, the glimmer within him began to pulse with energy. Waiting for the savior to come. If he had the energy to blush, he probably would have; for sounding like such a girl.

Another crack was heard, as screams and shrills boomed all through out the house. The rush of foot steps ascending towards the upstairs, the sheer apprehension made the young boy want to move and view the one that had come to save him.

The door opened instantly, as Harry could already feel the cold atmosphere of horror descending upon the person.

A man, whose voiced was accented and spoke in a different language spoke. His tone coated in absolutely horror and strained with disgust, the Harry wondered what was disgusting; the marks and blood or viewing Harry's naked body?

Another man, a different one slid to the floor and spoke very gently to him. "Can you hear me?" The voice asked him, the blurry vision of the man appeared as Harry forced himself to open his eyes: from what Harry could tell the man had spiky hair and a bandage over his nose-"Your going to be okay, alright." The soft reassurance nearly made Harry instantly think of Pomfery for a second. "Tell me where you hurt."

Harry opened his mouth, finding hoarse and dry. Once again, it made him wonder how many days he had gone without food or water. "A...all over..." The man seemed to have said something that he was unable to understand, as the very same one picked him off the floor, as gently as the man seemed able too. Wincing at the sudden physical contact as the man gave him an apologetic look.

"Go to sleep kid." The man told him soothingly, his eyes soft and parental. "We'll be here when you wake up."

_Sleep? Yeah..._Harry thought to himself as he felt the weight of his eyes beginning to close. _'That sounds like a good idea...' _

Darkness claimed him the moment Harry's eyes snapped shut and were held tight. Nonetheless the words and movements did not go unnoticed by Harry as he felt the drops of water touch his naked skin, the coldness did nothing for him to indulge his dreaming, or lack there of really.

Without warning a suddenly pull to his body began to tear him away, with a giant flash of a violent white light. Harry, no long found himself staring and consumed by the dark abyss of his own mind, and stared up at the gigantic obelisk before him.

It both terrified him and intrigued him.

It was a giant, beautiful tree that flourished and stood with pride and strength. The branches were far larger then the ones Harry usually saw, but it wasn't even the branches that caught his attention at all. Nope, but rather was was attached to the trees seemed to mesmerize Harry, unable to tear his eyes away from it. Several giant dials, each coated with it's own symbol and color leered down a upon him but none of them seemed threatening to him but vibrated an essence of kindness, the powerful feel that he was receiving from the dials remained though. Paralyzed...no, the young boy depended as he felt the arm emitting form the giant tree, it wasn't that Harry couldn't move because of fear, no. It was because the was no need for him to move, neither was there a reason for the tree to move closer towards him. The muscles tingled with excitement and wonder while his brain struggled to understand what was happening, all Harry knew that this tree...no, Tree with a capital this time, he told himself firmly was important.

Then, as that thought appeared. A giant eye opened from the trunk. Staring directly at Harry, it's eyes white with tints of emerald green and beautiful strips of blue. A simple circle encased in a diamond laid right in the centre of the eye while spreading across the eye in zigzags.

Harry felt his breathe ran short, and his body stilled.

**"Harry Potter." **The voice was neither male or female, but was neither kind or malicious either.

"Y... yes..." Harry managed to squeak out.

**"Wake. Up."**

Harry blinked at that. Not at all expecting to be told to wake up. "I... I'm sorry?"

**"Wake up. Wake Up-"**

A rough feeling touched his shoulder. "Wake up!"

"Huh, wha-where am I?" Harry's body instantly snapped upwards, the sweat slipping down his forehead while whipping around the room. His eyes filled with shock and a bit frantic until Harry had come to realize that he was in the Hogwarts infirmary.

"Whoa, whoa kid. Take it easy there," A VERY familiar voice told him. "You'll just open up your wounds if you do that." Harry turned, nearly gasping as he saw the bandage man sitting right next to him wearing a soft smile on his face. "Nice to see your awake, kiddo. You had us worried there for a moment," Lending forward as the man's hands gripped Harry's shoulder. "How are you feeling?" The man wore navy, near black, pants with a strange whirlpool like symbol on his pants and arms, while his chest had a green vest and wore a metallic headband with a triangle point being attached the whirlpool insignia.

The boy was a bit surprised by the question, flustering under his gaze while moving his arms and muscles. Ignoring the, now, soft cries and jolts of pain. "I'm alright, thank you sir." It wasn't a lie, but at the same time it wasn't entirely the truth either.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" His smirk held a bit of amusement, and a glint of evil in them causing Harry to sweatdrop. "If you don't mind then," slapping the boy's back and watched as Harry struggling to prevent a cry of pain and flinched. "You don't seem entirely fine to me," Sighing. "Oh well, it's a guy thing. We gotta act tough, right?" Winking at the kid, the man blinked. "Whoops, sorry forgot to introduce myself. Name's Kotetsu. Kotetsu Hagane, one of your bodyguards this year."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Bodyguards...?" His tone was defensive.

"He~eey ease there, kid." Kotetsu began, trying to avert the kid away from the whole 'I can look after myself' tirade," That's now what I'm here for. Yes, I'll admit I've, along with my team, have been asked to protect you from that guy Sirius Black that's apparently trying to kill you." Harry didn't even look surprised at that, Kotetsu gave him a point at that. "Not surprised?"

Harry gave him a deadpan look. "It's been a long few days, and I've just woken up. I'll probably be stunned once everything settles into my brain, no worries." The idea of bodyguards didn't exactly suit well with him, Harry didn't want anything to bad happen to them if he could prevent it. "Ummm...-"

Kotetsu gave Harry a critical look. "I was able to remove you from your relatives place." The word 'relative' was filled with coldness and disgust. "You will never be going back, that much I can promise you there. None of us will let you go back."

"...But..." Was it true? Could they really take him away from the Dursley's? "What about Dumbledore?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, kiddo. You look like a smart kid," Kotetsu began slowly, leaning on the back of the chair. "So I'm going to tell you everything, well nearly everything. So just listen, my group is what you call Shinobi which are basically Ninja, we carry out mission to our clients. We hail from the Hidden Village of the Leaf or Konohagakure no Sato in proper Japanese. Many kids young and roughly around the same age, chose to enter the Academy to become Shinobi, some train in martial arts, others strange in Ninjutsu basically thinking magic combat, others in Genjutsu which are basically illusions. There are those that taken on other types of roles such as Medic-Nins or even Weapon Masters."

Harry stared at him. Hard. "Shinobi... Ninja..." biting his lip and eyeing Kotetsu uncertainly. "You kill." It wasn't an accusation, but more of a statement-question really.

"...Yes. We do kill." The man admitted truthfully, his onyx eyes trained on Harry. "We kill because we have people we want to protect, we kill to ensure their survival. No one in Konoha kills just because they initially feel like killing people. But at the same time, not only Shinobi are actively out on the field, Medic-nins and other types of Shinobi remain the Village; helping and aiding the rest of the village in anyway it can." Pausing and gazed at Harry deeply," I don't have to say, but you already know what I'm going to ask aren't you?"

The boy didn't answer, but instead steered his attention towards the wall. Shinobi...kill... his body had stiffened at that, Harry had no wish to harm anyone. But at the same time, a Medic-Nin. it sounded much like a doctor really, helping people and other Shinobi really, however the boy he would entirely fooling himself if he honestly thought about living a killing-free life. It was stupid self-pressing ignorance, Voldemort would never stop hunting him and, Harry sincerely doubt that his followers would simply stop trying to harm other, innocent people as well. This man, Kotetsu Hagane, there were no lies within his tone that much was certain from what Harry was able to tell simply by looking at him was how sincere and experienced he was being out on the field. The man's hands were most likely stained with blood, then again so were Harry's.

The raven haired boy had to admit, never once did he actually ever think about becoming a doctor or even being a magical one at that. But, for some odd reason, a Medic-nin somehow caught his attention. The very word slipped off his tongue, as if it was trying to challenge Harry. Entice him, by providing a challenge that seemed willing to mock him openly. There was also the fact, no matter how childish and fearful it may sound, Harry didn't necessarily have to be on the front lines.

Maybe... maybe by becoming a Shinobi, not only could help people but also finally be himself.

Green eyes meet with onyx ones.

"I'll help you."

* * *

First off I want to say, Thank you to everyone who review this. To be honest, I actually thought this would be a hit and miss. I'm glad to see how wrong I was! I will try to keep this going, original and entertaining as much as possible!

(1) Also, Harry is NOT a Jinchuuriki. Get it out of your heads please, Naruto has High Chuunin to High Jounin Chakra levels without the Kyuubi, why can't Harry and other people?

*Note: Regarding Izumo's eyes. Watch the Shippuuden omake 81, or 85. You'll understand once seeing it.

Infinitechange: I'm glad you like the beginning so far, and I apologize on not making the characteristics not being written in depth, I will try to correct that in the future chapters..

**CatgirlKitesune**: Well I always that that Magic and Chakra were the same thing, but Chakra is when magic is being used through a more physical sense. Since essentially, magic and Chakra are both energy and life force.

_Bronze Star_: I feel your pain, my writing and grammar do need a brush up. And thanks!

**Twilightsirius**: Hehehehehe... just read and see.

Officer Dibble: The pairings will be revealed later. So please be patient until then. I always thought that Harry would succeed in mainly Ninjutsu, Fuuinjutsu or Taijutsu. Genjutsu... I think it depends on the situation and what year he starts learning to be a Shinobi. And I already have a Genjutsu specialist already lined up.

**917brat: **I personally think that a medical-nin could honestly fit Harry too, that or a ANBU-nin for some odd reason... dunno why. A mix... why did I not think of that before? hehe, well we'll see, if that does happen I want to let you know in advance that it was your idea and thank you for coming up with it. It may or may not happen.

_mione the kneazle:_ I'm glad that someone agrees with me, I never understood why anyone would send Genin to protect someone, if it was a 'C' Rank I can understand but an 'B' to 'A' Rank Mission? Yeah, no. Iruka's my favorite character, not even going to lie. As for teacher Anko... hehehe, just wait and see. As I can see it, Magic and Chakra are the same, but just used in different manners. I don't really think it's too late for Harry to learn Chakra excersies (Hint, hint!). I'll do my best not to go overboard with the bashing!

**Dark Neko 4000: **You'll have to continue reading to find out. As for Hermione, keep reading.

ElementalFallenStar: Alright, thanks you! And I'll make sure to write the bashing, realistically as possible.

_**Deviously Ruined Rose: **_It's alright, it's the thought that counts ^^. Sorry I should have elaborate further on that, by a 'Minato Clone' I might a similar fighting style. And thank for the review, and yes it did help thank you.

_alibandi: _I don't necessarily think Harry is weaker then a normal man, but rather stronger due to his abused past. Because of it, Harry can with stand pain and last long in a fight though due to his starvation, I don't down that Harry is a bit on disadvantage when it comes to strength. And thanks for the vote as well.

Anna241: Thank you! *Eyes go wide* Y-you mean I'm not the ONLY one who hates that? Can we be friends? I'm not going to lie: I have NEVER liked Sasuke, they really should have given his screen time to Tenten, the manga/anime would have been a lot better but that's my own opinion. and plus she needs it anyway :D. I will do my best with Ron, I however make no promises. If this story does end up as a Healer! Harry story, I will do my best to make it as kickass as possible -salutes-

_Silvermane1:_ Thanks, glad you like it.

**Anabellia Hyuuga: **yeah... that seems to be my biggest flaw, I have difficulty proof-reading my writing only months later do I actually notice the mistakes. That's why I asked for a beta, lol. As for who Harry is paired with, just be patient. That's all I'm going to say.

**yue14121990:** Thank you for your input!

PyromaniacBlackWings: Thanks, I appreciate it opinion. Yeah, I understand I'll try to write better in the future; promise. And once again, thank you, for the vote and for the betaing offer.

Hoshi-tachi: I was learning towards with Tsunade or Minato, mainly due to their similar personalities and characteristics or coming up with a new type of style. But I think these would have fit rather nicely for him. Again, Harry and Naruto's pairings will be revealed later on, just be patient. Also thanks for the betaing offer!

**webpixie:** I'm insanely bias for side-characters, they never get the attention that they need. Example, Tenten. If you read the first chapter I always stated that where Genma went Raidou was sure to follow, thus why he is there. Thanks for the input for Harry's route!

**Kirallie: **Glad you love Iruka, and yes Hayate and Iruka. I read a one-shot about it and fell in love with it, as the Chuunin Exams. I'm keeping my mouth shut. I have plans for Sasuke, big plans. I explained why Iruka never thought to bring a medic-nin, it happens.

RazielCullen3: Thanks! I'm glad that you like it! I'll try to divulge into more describing the future.

**Red Jeanie:** To me personally, Harry came off as a very shy individual that just need a push forward but DO agree with you about him not wanting attention. I honestly think being a medic-nin would best suit him, since he could fade straight into the background. Any Jutsu, even a simple one, could be insanely powerful and dangerous, if it is stacked upon, improved, used, and shaped into the person's own technique.

_dragnsheart8261920: _I like Harry as a medic-nin as well, if I do choose for Luna and Gaara to be paired together I have a very funny scene already waiting to be written down. Kakashi, I already have some ideas about what to do with him already. As for Sakura, you'll see.

**PhoenixfromtheFlame: **Thanks! I usually try and come up with new ideas, steer clear from constantly used cliches... I'm reserving my comment on that one. Awww, thank you :D. Thanks for the offer for betaing!

Regarding Naruto and Harry's pairings; please don't ask. I have several ideas, and so please in the mean time be patient. Once again, I'm asking for constructive critisizm for my reviews! Just to let you all know in advance, this coming week is going to be a bit rough for me, so I probably won't be updating but then again who knows? Until text time.

Male! Tsunade: 9

Clone! Minato: zero.

Others:

Tsunade Route with Ninjutsu and Genjutsu: 1

Tsunade Route with Seals: 3

Tsuande Route with Seals and Runes: 1


	3. Month of Hell

Chapter Three: Month of Hell

Anko's patience was really starting to run out.

The Kunoichi wondered just what kind of society built upon themselves of utter prejudice, and childish antics? The slits gazing upon the several 'adults' that were gathered in the room, each vocalizing their obvious opinions regarding Harry; it ranged from crushing concern to utter apathetic disgust. The Great Hall was a very large hall with five tables each one with a giant banner over them. Giving the quick and easy explanation, Anko came to wonder if common sense had been thrown out the window, followed by it's good friend; Logic. Just... looking at these so-called teachers made her skin crawl, not nearly as much as Gai and his green jump suit. Though, that isn't to say that it didn't fall under the same category or it's own. She really hadn't decided yet, but from the looks of it, it probably fell into it's own.

But, one of them caught her attention.

Snape Severus, was his name. Anko recalled cautiously, her eyes narrowed while looking at him. The man reeked of evil and blood, the tainted air seemed to circle around his arm before reaching up swirling around his very body like a poison. It made her snarl with disgust, this man... this THING. Just him standing there was driving her nerves into a wall. The cold steel of her kunai pressed against her skin, the feeling of the sharp blade made her body tingle with blood-filled excitement, wishing to indulge in the scaring these wizard folk. A feral grin split her lips, her eyes hidden underneath her bangs, eyeing them coldly. Oh yeah, it would be such a delicious treat! Licking the edges of her lips, lustfully the woman pushed away from the chair-

A hand grabbed her instantly.

Brown eyes met with stern hazel.

Anko raised an eyebrow.

Genma shook his head.

_'Kill joy'_'. Was what her look said, nearly making the man snort.

The senbon chewing man would be lying if he stated that he actually WANTED to near these civilians, as Genma rather referred to him, prattle on about inane and pointlessly things. Yes, they were concerned with the boy's health. Yes, they were concerned about his psyche, which the man already knew Kotetsu was currently taking care of. Izumo was busy at the moment talking, and quite animatedly so, with Hagrid, a rather absent minded though extremely bubbly and friendly man, over the craziest of things. Mainly about the rare creatures that the taller man (waaaay taller man) gushed over happily. The Shinobi could have swore that a child-like glint was shining from bearded man, nearly jumping for joy at finding a kindred spirit. A snort escaped, but hidden it well since it was be rather rude to make a mockery out of these wizard folk-no matter how much they seemed to deserve one way or another that; however was not up to them. Their job was to defend the skill and successfully capture Sirius Black and 'safely' return the man straight back to his cell, thankfully there were absolutely no restrictions or penalties whether or not killing this supposed dangerous man would infringe upon the contract.

Killing wasn't something any Shinobi enjoyed. Not unless they were psychologically unhinged like like a certain rouge Sannin.

Genma could practically feel his eyes harden.

"...I see." The clearly annoyed and disapproved tone of one Umino Iruka's voice reached the edges of his ears, much to his glee and joy. The rigid stature of the tanned man was like a giant a trigger for those whom knew teacher and were fully aware of how close the other man's patience was starting to vanish at the disgust at the so-called "standards" of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The kid, Harry, Genma thought to himself, would benefit from getting far away from the school-if not the entire country in general. Being all for getting the kid away from this upside down world and somewhere safe the lingering thoughts of Harry actually joining the Shinobi ranks seemed... extreme. If down right stupid. There was no way that the Sandaime would have approved of this, at the same time it still felt like they were being played like pawns upon a chessboard.

It took the senbon-user all of his strength not to snort loudly, unaware that he had already caught the attention of one Professor Sinistra.

Genma lend back into his chair, lazily trying to keep himself from falling asleep from the boring chit-chat. Where was Kotetsu when you needed him? Looking around the room, the man grinned at the scene being acted out between Hayate and Pomona, the plump woman whom seemed to be mothering him like a child. The poor guy! The fellow Tokubetsu snickered at the annoyed look that flashed upon the swordman's face as he tried to deflect and ignore the woman's attempts at talking to him (aka: Smothering him with love and affection) aaah... if only Genma had his hands on a camera, it would be decent blackmail material or even better selling it straight to the fangirls back in Konoha! Despite being rather ill and frail, the man already had a fanbase set up and totally devoted to him.

It made the man wonder if they knew about Yuago? A shrug. Who cared?

Babbling inclined her disapproving eyes towards McGonagall but otherwise kept her mouth shut, Genma had noted from across the room. The woman was old, though not as old as McGonagall was, from the looks of it. Thin dirty blonde hair tied back in a small bun, similar to that of a certain member of the Elder Council. Hell, the woman even pressed her lips together in the same fashion! Though, it appeared that Babbling was not a fan of McGonagall nor was she utterly thrilled with Dumbledore either. The animosity radiating from her eyes was evidence of the concealed loathing and disgust that the woman seemed to hold for two higher-ups, she didn't seemed as much of a blind follower of Dumbledore as all these others were.

Filtwick seemed to also be a rather devoted follower, the old midget that animatedly talked too Raidou about Charms and the professions liked to it.

That was another thing that Genma actually wanted to take a look out, what sort of professions were there in the wizarding world anyway? There had to be some form of employment among this disfunctional upside-down community that they had been drawn into.

And the laws. Can't forget about the laws, after all it would be wise to see what exactly they could get away with!

The giant doors opened as Kotetsu and the kid moved into the Great Hall. The spiky haired man looking rather smug while the kid seemed abashed and slightly embarrassed and was moving somewhat rigidly beside the Chuunin at the same time trying not to shrink under the scrutiny of the faculty.

"Finally." Izumo remarked with a mocking gaze. "I was wondering when you two were going to join us, here I thought you might have drowned by in your syrup by now." Ignoring the strange looks from the Hogwarts Faculty, the Shinobi present all snorted loudly.

Kotetsu simply smirked. "Oh please, like I'd do that?" folding his arms over his chest. "Besides, that would have been a rather sweet death-OW!"

"No puns, moron!" Izumo stated swiftly, grinning widely.

The spiky man pouted. "Fine. Can I at least make a joke?"

"No. That would require advertising." Izumo denied deadpanned tone, eyeing him as if he was a moron.

"...You always ruin my fun."

An atmosphere of humour began to settle in as Harry's lips twitched. _'The two of them are like Fred and George.' _

"Alright, alright you two!" Anko cut in loudly looking rather irritated while gazing at Chuunin warningly. "You can go and have your lover's quarrel when were not in the room." Smirking at the flabbergast expression, the I&T specialist happily sat back and took in with joy. "So, the kid joining us or what?"

McGonagall's nostrils snarled. "Of course he isn't! There is no chance that Lily and James' child would willing become a... a...!-"

"Yes."

It was like a pin dropped straight to the floor and the echo was heard by everyone.

No one moved only allowing their eyes to fall upon the young boy that stood before them with firm resolution, his gaze and stature not faltering from the intense disbelief aimed towards him. Kotetsu stood by him with a vacant and emotionless expression standing as the boy's support awaiting the inevitable tone of verbal displeasure and abuse. Harry had predicted that it come from two, well, people in general: McGonagall, Dumbledore and of course, Snape. It was not the fact he cared what they had personally though about his choices, since the constant threats at Hogwarts had been an overall reasoning for being trained as a Shinobi. After last years fiasco with the Basilisk plus Lucius Malfoy's plot and Lockhart's uselessness... the fact that there were people whom truly wanted to help and guide him seemed like a dream come true. Normally, Harry probably wouldn't have trusted them or placed strong faith in them due to his history with adults...

Maybe it was the fact the Kotetsu seemed so earnest or was it because they had saved him from the Dursley's and given him a chance at an entirely new life? He wasn't entirely certain of the reason, nonetheless Harry knew that he was utterly grateful towards them.

Was this what they called fanaticism?

"Y-you can't honestly mean to become a... a killer!" McGonagall shrieked loudly with absolute horror written over her face, gazing upon him as if he had another head. "Your parents would not have stood by for this! Please consider your future Mr. Potter, your parents would have not wanted this." The pleading tone did resonate something in Harry as the Scottish woman looked so helpless and tired. "There are other options besides turning towards something so insidious and dark."

"HEY!" The Chuunin duo exclaimed.

"Of course Potter would turn to the darkest path, seeking glory for himself." Snape sneered, gazing down upon the Shinobi as if they were insects. "Can't miss the chance to out do others, can you Potter? Just like your arrogant father." The gluttonous snarl reached each and every part of Harry's body eyeing the older man with disgust and rage as the reflection of the glee of a bully at seeing the struggle of emotion that was building up inside of Harry. The young boy found it rather sick and pathetic that the man was doing everything he could to make his life hell while adding to deep wounds in his heart about his parents, though not everything that came out of the man's mouth could be classified as truth that much Harry knew for certain. "Your father," The man continued shelling the thoughts out. "Was a pathetic idiotic prankster that couldn't wait to show off to the masses, just like you."

Harry shot him a cold look. "I fail to see what my parents have to do with this, Professor Snape. I have chosen this path considering the last years of attending Hogwarts, and have nearly been killed and suffered at the hands of Voldemort-" Outwardly ignoring the cringes and the furious face of one Potion's master before continuing. "But also the accusations of last year, regarding me as the Heir of Slytherin. None of you did a thing to take measures in order to prevent Voldemort-Oh grow up already. Or act like professional teachers."

"Last year?" Anko asked curiously.

Harry looked over. "They thought I was evil because a rather dangerous creature was going around petrifying people and I just so happened to able to communicate with it. And yet, they did nothing to dispel these rumours and simply allowed myself along with my friends to suffer the ostracism from the other students until my friend, Hermione, ended up petrified. Turned out Voldemort, would you all of you grow up already, was acting through my first year professor Quirrel and again last year, by controlling a fellow student. Once again, doing nothing to stop it let along leaving it for three first year and later two second years to deal with the problem. Granted, last year only Ron and I were able to figure out where the creature was attack from and what it was with Hermione's help."

"And the year before that?" Raidou prompted softly, his voice barely above an octave.

Before any of the Professors would rebuke Harry had already continued on. "They built up traps in order to prevent anyone from getting near the object of Voldemort's desire." Deciding it would best to leave out the fact that said object was the Philosopher's stone was probably the best thing. "In the end, three FIRST years got past it... And now that I think about." His eyes landed upon Dumbledore, whose expression seemed to have melted a bit with shock. "Each test seemed to reflect us; Flying, Chess, and Puzzles. Each of us was bound to figure out one and eventually get to the Mirror; it sounds quite suspicious now doesn't it?"

"What are you implying Potter?" Snape roared angrily glaring down at him as if Harry was an insect. "That Dumbledore allowed Voldemort in willingly in order to have you confront him one on one? Don't be preposterous, you BARELY have any skill whatsoever in the wizarding arts let alone in Duel capabilities." Sneering at Harry," Stop trying to make yourself looking taller and mightier than rest of us. You aren't."

"I never implied anything, Professor Snape." Harry spoke up rather cheerfully at him. "In fact you just blurted it out right now and here." He grinned widely at Snape's furious look before fishing out his wand looking ready to strike Harry down.

At least that's what Snape planned on doing.

A sharp painful cry echoed through the room followed by Snape screaming in pain while the violent woman happily twisted his arms sadistically allowing the sounds of the man's bones breaking to play again and again for her. It was such a delicious tone for her ears!

"Now, now Snapie." Anko chirped happily. "Violence is a no-no here."

Iruka shot her a stern look. "Let him go Anko. Children like him are unusable at this age," His words cold and frigid like steel while the woman let Snape go wearing a look of displeasure. The man was little more then overgrown child that had been denied his favorite toy, a shame really. Iruka thought to himself ignoring the sputter of angers escaping the man's mouth, a poison maker would have come into much use. "Shall we begin discussions over teaching-"

"Are you certain that this what you want to do, my boy? Surely you believe that I know what's best don't you?" Dumbledore cut off Iruka and utterly ignored him while gazing at Harry with the facade of a grandfather. "Your parents would be so disappointed for to give up what they have planned for you and where they too had learned to control their powers." A benevolent smile seemed to slip upon his face. "C'mon now, I'm certain that you wouldn't wish to leave Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley behind, would you?" Shifting his glasses as he sent the boy a meaning full look one that the man was certain would make Harry reconsider his decision and return to being under his tutelage during his remaining time at Hogwarts. He agreed however, that Harry should not return to such a rough household, nodding mentally. Dumbledore was certain thought that Weasley would be more then happy to have Harry live with them.

"Are you my Guardian, sir?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore blinked in surprise, taken back. "Well, no my boy. However, I just wish that you would see reason and agree that I only have your best interest at heart." The man once again smiled as if he was taking to a four year old. "It is after all for the greater good."

"You are not my Guardian then." Harry said calmly staring at the man with apathetically. "Thus that means you are my Headmaster, only. You have no right to dictate or make decisions about my life, where I go or what I do. If it is a school related manner, then I will consider it other then that I'm afraid that I must decline. I'm grateful for everything, Professor Dumbledore, I really am. However..." His gaze fell over towards the Konoha Shinobi," I feel like I finally found where I'm supposed to belong to."

A haggard woman that Harry had never seen before muttered. "Be warned Harry Potter, my eye has told me if you continue your chosen path that death will follow and claim everything you care about!" The loud tone of hers seemed to catch everyone's attention.

Silence.

"... umm... Who are you?" Harry asked looking at this weird woman strangle as the suddenly need to get away from her began to stir from within him.

The woman blinked at him before smiling eerily. "I am Professor Trelawney, the Divination-"

"Can I drop Divination and take up Ancient Runes instead?" Harry requested dryly, utterly dismissing the woman on whim and leaving her speechless at his callous attitude and tone. He blinked. "I really don't want to have to deal with this on a daily bases."

It was only one Professor in particular the spoke up.

"...Finally someone managed to shut her up," Filtwick stated with relief.

* * *

_Iruka_

Thankfully, Iruka had discovered a room with in Hogwarts that could be utilized as a training ground for them while stilling having the option of using outside for drills and chakra control. Some of the Professor's, those whom were apart of "The Dumbledorean Cult" as Izumo had commented, seemed to do everything within their power in order to prevent and discourage Harry's decision at joining the Shinobi ranks. Though the attempts have been unfruitful and only served as mere annoyances and only helped to strengthen his resolve by putting every bit of energy and fibre of his being into his work. Being a rather fresh 'Academy student' as the Chuunin had put it the man had decided to forcefully push Harry into learning their language along with their history before starting off on Chakra Controls and the other fun stuff. In order to begin the basics one needed to learn the basics of the basics before being able to advance forward and attempting the more difficult training.

Hiragana had not been as hard as Harry had originally thought it would be and in fact was able to memorize and understand the entire table by the end of the lesson, not that Iruka was surprised by it. The boy was definitely talented and intelligent Harry simply needed a push.

Katakana and Kanji... weren't as easy.

The man had personally stood over him and gently corrected the mistakes that the younger boy had gotten wrong or misunderstood the meaning of the words. Iruka was a very kind teacher and didn't mind helping though he wouldn't give Harry any hints until he put in his entire being into the question.

Harry made certain to practice his Kanji and Katakana everyday in order to perfect it.

While learning how to speak, read and write in the native language Iruka had quickly moved on towards the history of the Shinobi world along with Konohagakure no Sato's history which enticed and captivated Harry. Never in his wildest dreams did the things Iruka had told him would actually transpire beneath everyone's noses, it was quite wondrous really. The history of the Shinobi world has started out from a myth of the Rikubo Sennin through him the rise and the flourishing of the Shinboi nations formed into the several Elemental countries.

Konoha, the Hidden Village of the Leaf. The home of the Team Iruka hailed from, and currently leader was the Sandaime Sarutobi Hiruzen also nicknamed the Professor by those from the Village which made sense as to why the man preferred to be called 'Iruka-sensei' rather then 'Professor Umino' in order to honor the leader. Before the Sandaime's rule, the village had been brought up from the ground by the Senju Clan and the Uchiha clan each lead by one leader; Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara followed by the tradgey that had befallen the two clans the ended with tragic deaths forcing Hashirama's younger brother, Tobirama to inherit the title of the Nidaime. However, the benevolant man's rule also came to a close several years forcing Sarutobi Hiruzen to replace him.

The region of the Sandaime's rule over Konoha had been long and prospers, however with peace also came the storm of war. The Third Shinobi War between Konoha and Iwa, a war that took too long to finish, it had started over a bringing of good faith until an assassination attempt upon the Sandaime's life had triggered the war and the world spiralling into hell. A man, a very well known man by the name of Namikaze Minato, a jounin at the time had brought utter devastation to the Iwa Army and brought them to their knees alone. Despite the ending of the war, the wounds of old still remained fresh and eventually filled with bitterness. The very concept of joining up with Iwa was unheard of let alone giving aid to Iwa. The same man who had defeated the Iwa Army eventually rose to the position of the Yondaime Hokage, the youngest and strongest Hokage that had ever lived.

Unfortunately, as two of his predecessor before him the Yondaime had lost his life defending his village from one of the Bijuu; a tailed-demon called the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The strongest out of the tailed demons that roamed the Elemental countries.

The mere thought of demons attacking made Harry shiver in fear, though he felt sympathy for the Yondaime for having to sacrifice himself and never be able to have a family.

With the Yondaime dead Hiruzen had once again took the position of Hokage in order to keep the village running and prevent the enemies of Konoha from taking advantage of their weakness. A rather smart in Harry's opinion since it would allow the Sandaime to help organize reconstruction while taking the position away from greedy corrupted hands.

His mind lingered on two people in particular.

"Alright that you've got all of that down I'll start showing the basic seals-which are hand signs that are needed in order to utuilize Chakra." Iruka began watching the young student carefully. "Chakra is a combination of spiritual energy and physical energy used together. Think it as your magic except rather then using wands, you're using the body as the outlet for it." Continuing on as Harry seemed to understand, if looking slightly lost. "Chakra can be used like Ninjutsu, similar to Charms and Transfiguration through Taijutsu which is physical combat or weapons and even used for Genjutsu which are illusions. Of course you won't be learning that from me the others will be teaching you the more advanced stuff."

"What about the basic fighting?" Harry felt his lips moved faster then his brain. He frozen in place as he met with the darkest smile that Harry had ever seen in his entire life, Iruka's dark aura seemed to have slipped out of him and stared not unkindly consequently the boy could tell that the man's eyes were not smiling innocently.

"That." The click of his tongue echoed. "Will be revealed in all good time." Turning swiftly away from the boy Iruka held his hands up in front of them. "There are twelve basic seals; Bird." Showing the boy the first seal," Boar." Turning his hands upside down and pushing them together. "Next one is DOG." The man's annoyed hiss caused Harry to be taken back a bit.

"I-Iruka s-sensei...?"

The man levelled a look at him. "What?"

"Are you okay... you don't seem to like that..." Harry hesitated as he bit his lip. "Word much."

Iruka didn't even wince, though his eyes flashed for a brief moment in time. "I'm fine, thank you for your concern." The man answered sincerely even though the two both knew that older man was lying through his teeth, and Harry let him. Everyone deserved to have a secret. The 'Dog' hand seal was a fist turned down with a hand on top of it. "And this one is..." Iruka's voice trailed off as Harry watched and copied slowly, eyeing each seal carefully so that he wouldn't confuse them and get mixed up. "Did you get all of that?"

Harry nodded sharply. "Yes, Sensei. Though why are all the seals zodiac related?"

"Hmmm?"

"Well... each Seal represents a chinese zodiac, so I was wondering if there was any significant reason for that..." Harry answered slowly not really certain of his words. It was actually quite weird and foreboding really, just why did the hand seals match up with the Chinese Zodiac anyway?

Iruka titled his head looking rather interested. "That's a very good question, and unfortunately I don't have answer for you."

"It's alright. Though why are Hand seals necessary for sp-I mean Jutsu's?" Harry's word slurred as he flustered in embarrassment.

"Hand Seals help regulate the Chakra through the body acting like a guide for it. It also helps recognize the nature of the Chakra that is being prepared by the user." Iruka answered. "There are the twelve regular seals that we use today, however there are still thousands of seals that have yet to be discovered."

"...Nature of the Chakra?"

Iruka grinned. "You'll learn that later, now let's move on Henge and Kawamari no Jutsu..."

Harry pouted.

* * *

_Izumo & Kotetsu_

Training with Kotetsu and Izumo was HELL.

Getting up at five-thirty in the morning was NOT something he was adjusted to yet, as the two men had forced Harry to not only walk straight towards the training area, but was now forced to wear weights underneath his clothing in order for him to develop muscle. While yes, Harry was lean and in shape for someone his age the fact was that he was no longer a civilian but rather, a Shinobi in training thus he needed to get into the body to fit the requirements needed to be a Shinobi.

Though he felt a lot lighter and a bit stronger the he was use to. However that didn't stop Harry from feeling a bit weird, his body just felt so weird... Izumo had noticed his anxiety one day and brought up over to the side when no one else was around.

"Your body is adapting through some... changes." Izumo had told him one day after finishing up a quick exercise," for boys it's usual around this time when your body starts to develop into a man's body, though you still have time left before that finally happens. What I'm saying is that your body is trying to adjust to your growing up while adapting to your new training regime, don't worry though it just takes time. There's also the fact that your not use to waking up this early, are you Harry?" The man smiled gently. "It's normal don't worry about it, alright?"

The Chakra Control exercise that the Chuunin Duo had placed Harry through was a normal one that would help determine how good he was with Chakra Control and what needed to be worked on the most; Medic-Nins from what Kotetsu told were people who had amazing Chakra Control, but had implied that not all of them had started out that way while others were simply naturals at it; an example had been Konoha's Legendary Slug Sennin, Senju Tsunade, a strong Medic-Nin in power, knowledge, and beauty. She had vanished from the village nearly eleven years ago and no one had heard from her since whispers and rumors of skills appeared every now and then which only served to motivate Harry more then it already had.

That led to the Leaf Control exercise.

Sitting still for hours on end hadn't been what Harry had expected when the two had given him four leaves each, telling him to either leviate them or make them spin. Together. By meditating Harry would be able to guide his chakra through his system together the destination of the leaves and use it in order to make the leaves spin, or levitate. Needless to say it had been a rather difficult to pull off while it took him nearly three hours to do Harry eventually was able to pull it off but it felt exhausting to do afterwards.

"The Leaf training is way to gauge a person's chakra and from the looks of it, you have at least average Chakra control at the very least," Kotetsu commented eyeing the leaves carefully as they rotated on Harry's forehead. His lips pressed together before grinning rather maliciously, rubbing his hands together similar to an evil doctor. "Alright this way please!"

"Why do I have the feeling I should start fearing for my life?" Harry question dryly as he reluctantly followed the other man outside with utterly ignoring the outburst of laughter from Izumo. His thoughts swarmed and mixed together trying to think of what exactly the older man had decided for him to do for training; it was Chakra training that much was certain. Reaching towards the outside of the castle the spiky haired Chuunin lead him straight over towards a rather big tree, making the young boy blinked in confusion.

The man grinned. "It's time for Tree Walking!"

"... Tree walking?" Harry repeated his voice laced with disbelief. "Like climbing?" Adding in after a short pause.

"Yep!" The cheerful reply came as the man blinked happily. "But you won't be using your arms to climb, nope! Instead you'll be using your legs watch." placing his hands together and closing his eyes Harry felt a strange and strong tinkle enter his body making him shudder at the feel of it, the feeling its self felt hard and strong, unbreakable even however only for that moment did that thought lingered as it disappeared while gazing up in awe at Kotetsu, who walked up the tree in utter ease. The man gazed down at him as he made his way straight over to the branch before sitting adding in a tiny wave.

Izumo looked over at Harry. "That is Tree Walking. By focusing your Chakra straight towards your feet you make it act like 'stick' and walk straight up without falling to the ground. Its a good exercise and Chakra reserve builder, as a Medic-Nin it will help service you in the future."

Harry's eyes narrowed at that blazing with fiery determination. "Alright, what do I have to do?"

Thwack!

A kunai reached towards the top of the three sticking out. "That's where you have to go," Izumo declared evil smugness as he gazed down at the boy. "And you'll keep doing this until your exhausted, understand? Iruka probably told you about wasting your Chakra and the consequents right?"

"Death." Was the flat tone.

Izumo happily patted him. "Good boy!"

"Yes master," Harry stated deadpanned staring at Izumo with a blank expression. "I'll make sure to go and retrieve the bone you just throw."

Izumo's lips widened. "Awww I've always wanted a dog!"

"I was being sarcastic!"

A chuckle. "I know!"

And so it had begun.

Again and again, and again.

Continously LANDING on your ass was VERY painful. The raven haired boy was certain that he'd eventually break his neck or his back before he'd be able to accomplish this Chakra Control exercise as the boy groaned from hitting the ground again all while staring up at the challenging grin that slipped upon Kotetsu's face and the glint! Snarling his nostrils Harry charged forward focusing his Chakra straight towards his feet struggling to keep himself from landing on the hard concrete ground again his eyes flashed dangerously as gravity began to push against his front and the weight that held him up was slowly beginning to vanish at a rapid rate. Harry could actually feel the gripping of his Chakra as well which by the way, wasn't sure if that was normal or not, as the boy felt his body turn sharply as the brown became green and tingly. It took him several minutes until he finally understood that once again he had fallen straight towards the ground with grass in his mouth.

"Having fun down there?" Kotetsu asked cheerfully while Izumo simply shook his head and watched with amusement as the young boy pushed himself off the ground once again charging forward towards the tree, rushing up before slipping down.

Izumo contemplated on giving the boy a hint, that was until he stared straight into Harry's eyes. The burning determination that refused to die down within Harry made the Chuunin's thoughts of helping to dissolve and made the reframed from giving aid. The kid had spunk, that much was certain remind him actually of a certain orange jumpsuit wearing kid really. The same eyes they both had. The wanting, the needing to get better and to get stronger not allowing themselves to give up and call it quits.

_'That's right Harry, don't give up.'_ Izumo thought his eyes firmly set on the boy. Watching with parental pride as the young boy began to climb higher and higher towards to reaching his destination, biting upon his own lips as he finally made it straight towards the top before kicking backwards and landing upon his feet firmly. A pride he had felt grew as his eyes watched Harry make a normal Bushin beside himself, and actually didn't even look as exhausted as he had been before the Tree Walking exercise had begun. His eyes glanced straight over towards Kotetsu, receiving a titled nod in return. _'You just started training and you've already come so far Harry. Not many Shinobi, let alone civilians can do this. Is it because your a wizard?'_ His eyes narrowed at that thought._ 'Or is it something else?'_

"Yosh!" Kotetsu rang as he jumped straight towards the ground causing the ground to shake for a moment and snickered as Harry fell to the ground. "Have a nice fall?" His tone still cheerful and happy only to grin again as he found himself on the receiving end of the kid's death glare. "Now then, you have to keep on doing this training-"

"In order to strength my Chakra reserves and help build up my Chakra control." Harry added effectively cutting the man off with a firm nod. "I know," bending down so he could stretched his legs his emerald pools looked ups straight towards the two. "Is there anymore Chakra Control exercises I should be doing after Tree Walking?"

"Doing Chakra Control is something you should do daily, in order to get your keep on expanding your reserves." Izumo answered bluntly eyeing him. "Though, some Shinobi favor one exercise over the another either due to the Jutsu or simply because they favor it. It's like a one of your spells, you have a favorite right?"

Harry's cheeks tinkled. "Actually... no, I don't." he admitted softly looking at them. "It's odd I've _been_ here for nearly three years and there isn't a spell that I truly enjoy indulging..."

Kotetsu closed his eyes. _'Maybe it's because being a Shinobi is what you were always meant to be...'_ "Eh, who cares!" Rubbing his hands together evilly. "Now hurry and get your lazy ass back up there, we want you to this every single day got it? With enough Chakra Control we'll be able to teach you a Jutsu!"

"Really?" The eager tone had not been lost on them as Harry's eyes shined brightly like a child in the candy store. The two looked at each other before realizing that the boy had gone-back to the Tree Walking exercise with more vigor and motivation then before.

A sigh reached Izumo's ears as his partner shook his head in amusement. _'Well...'_ The mature one of the two thought as he gazed at the boy. _'It may not exactly be the best type of motivation, but it works none the less.'_

* * *

_Genma_

"Alright brat I'll be teaching ya Genjutsu. I'm not going to be liar and tell ya that Genjutsu's my specialty or anything so you'll have to bare with me ya hear?" The Senbon chewing man announced as walked down the halls lazily as his hands were stuffed straight into his pockets. Not even paying the slightest bit of attention to the young boy whom ran behind him diligently before suddenly halting in his stride. Genma looked at as the kid paused looking up at him curiously. "I found this place in order to help with your Genjutsu training, it was actual luck now that I think about it."

Harry slowly nodded. "What exactly is Genjutsu?"

"Genjutsu are illusion. They are used to deceive, manipluate and take control. Unlike Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, Genjutsu is rather flexiable in terms of use unfortunately that acts as a double-edge sword that the enemy can take advantage if the weakness is exploited." Genma lectured heavily his expression serious and stone hard, the tone was firm like steel. "Genjutsu is not a tool that should be taken lightly, the illusions themselves can very well kill a person depending upon the strength and nature of the Jutsu it's self which is why it's split into categories; Multiple and Singular, which can already tell by the names of what they do."

"Multiple targets a greater mass of people while Singular targets one person. Got it," Harry stated grasping onto that part as he frowned rather thinly at the thought of using an Genjutsu, the mere idea of it made the boy ponder over the ability and purpose of the name. "Genjutsu..." His lips purred as the name rolled off his tongue strangely yet very appealing as his lips twitched into a smile until it faded just as quickly as it had appeared, to mess with the mind its self also meant that one had to defeat the body as well, taking control or preventing the body from becoming aware of the falsehood. Stronger mental capabilities would also have to be combatanted with either a stronger Genjutsu or a slip a weaker one once the opponent's guard had been cracked the probability of it working was rather staggering.

"What is it?" Genma's curt tone came.

Harry stared up at the Shinobi. "How do you combat Genjutsus anyway?"

"Hehe, good question kiddo." The honey-brown haired man looked up. "Oi, Elf boy get your ass down here!" A moment of waiting as Genma tapped his feet impatiently. "Harry's here!" The sing-song tone escaped as a soft pop rang through both of their ears.

"Dobby is here sir! Dobby apologizes for being late." The small elf apologized honestly bowing at Genma not even noticing ('or ignoring' Harry added to himself with an amusement snort, however he was insanely happy to see his friend being alright) the raised eyebrow.

"Dobby what are you doing here?" Harry questioned a bit hesitately. "I thought you went off to enjoy your freedom..." At seeing the eyes from his friend Harry develped the sudden urge to start face palming. That had been a rather stupid question to ask. He hadn't been able to study up on freed House-Elves and thus had not knowledge where elves like Dobby would go or do, it was times like these that made him feel rather insignificant. His eyes watched tentatively as his elf-friend began to twittle with his thumbs like a child.

"Great Harry Potter is worried for Dobby? Dobby is moved!" The House-Elf exclaimed rather happily though it had not reached his eyes. The elf seemed to grasp at that as his facade vanished with a tiny sheepish look appeared," Dobby is having to work at Hogwarts since I is unable to find any work..." Shaking his head. "Wizarding families don't like a House-Elf that is wishing to be paid, sir!"

Harry nearly growled. "Why not! You deserve to be with all the hard work that you do Dobby. It's not right!"

"That's the way things are sir, which is why Headmaster gave Dobby this job!" The House-Elf was now radaiting absolute excitment from the mere prospective of working at Hogwarts. "Dobby is getting to see the Great Harry Potter every day! When Dobby found out that Harry Potter's Lazy-"

Genma raised an eyebrow. "Harry Potter's 'lazy'?"

Dobby didn't even comment at that. "Dobby knew a place for Harry Potter to train! We calls it the Come and Go room!"

"The... Come and Go room?" Harry repeated while glancing at his teacher, whom responded with a shrug. Frowning," What exactly is this Come and Go room Dobby?"

The House-Elf seemed ecstatic to explain. "The Come and Go room appears to those whom needs it sir. Dobby remembers Miss Kitty using it for something, though Dobby is unsure of what it was used for sir. Sir, though its only there sometimes while other times is not there! It appears when the seeker is in great need of it." The giant smile that stretched ear to ear on Dobby's face was all the more reason to believe in his smaller friend as Harry nodded at him to continue. "It's always on this floor sir."

"So... if we needed a training room, it would provide it for us then?" Harry questioned curiously. Dobby had opened his mouth in order to reply as the wall behind them began to shake a bit causing his and Genma's attention to snap straight over towards the growing door that formed before them, leaving a stunned boy and teacher.

"Well..." Genma began slowly with a small grin. "Ask and you shall receive. Alright brat, let's go." Grabbing the kid by the shoulders and literally opening the door then throwing the kid inside without a care. Smirking in satisfaction as Harry's reflexs kicked in and landed on the floor.

The room wasn't that bad if Genma had to say so glancing around the wooden room that resembled that of a dojo. Shifting towards the many weapon that laid quietly upon the walls, several of them were different types of Katanas each placed from biggest to smallest. Beside them were the axed and polar arms not that Genma really cared since he honestly preferred long ranged weapons opposed to close combat; unless it was unavoidable. Expecting the unexpected was all apart of being a Shinobi anything and everything could happen if you weren't too careful about it. The floor was neat and several pads laying down all closely placed together in order to prevent any serious injures and cover the wall with two red cushions sitting by the wood table.

That was a good place to start if any.

"What the hell was that for?"

Genma shrugged. "Because I felt like it."

"What kind of answer is that?"

"A half-assed one that's what. Now getting your ass over so we can begin already!" The man called over already placing himself straight onto the red cushion, looking a pensive at the distrustful look that his student- 'God I don't think I'll ever be use to that!' was giving him. "C'mon, don't make me wait all day!"

Eyeing the man warily, Harry made his way over to the man and sat beside him.

"First off, kiddo I won't be teaching you any Genjutsus just yet we'll have to work your way up by starting with meditation and relaxing your body." Genma began with a stern look on his face. "Through that we'll have you start building you your mental shields and stability."

"Stronger minds have a less chance at being deceived and using stronger Genjutsu, right?" Harry asked while remebering his previous thoughts form before. "Though what does meditation and relaxing my body have to do with building up my shields?"

Genma grinned. "To learn to control the mind of another and detect Genjutsus of course. Mastering your own mind is essence for Genjutsu."

"I... It seems like..." Harry began as he looked away from the man, the boy being in deep thought. "In order to control the mind, we also gain control of the sense..."

The man grin turned into a smirk. "You got in one kid. Now, we'll start your off by clearing you mind and build up your mental shields through scratch. In order to do that you must clear your mind of everything, think of a black screen and push all other thoughts to the side..."

* * *

_Konoha_

Sarutobi Hiruzen placed the letter straight onto the table as approached towards the window staring up at the blazing sunset that befall over the beloved village. The Professor was not an idiotic man nor was he one that could predict the future that was reserved for those whom desired to become more then human. The man's lips curled at a certain someones as the thought vanished quickly, for the longest time since had come in contact with the magical world when he had been a young and wild man that one day... a wizard would stray from his or her path and take the route towards being a Shinobi and succeeding. The letter sent by Iruka had arrived a week later since deployment of their mission and needlessly to say his instincts seemed hint right on the nail.

The boy, Potter Harry had grown beyond belief even faster then most pre-Genin and Academy students then again Hiruzen had not been that surprised by it. After all the child was being taught by the best Academy teacher Umino Iruka along with the insane and strict Mitarashi Anko followed by the strict Shiranui Genma and his partner-in-crime, Namiashi Raidou. Hiruzen's lips twitched as his mind drifted straight towards the insane Chuunin Duo and the proud if quiet Gekkou Hayate with them as his teachers it was no wonder that the boy had gone from a weak wizard to a decent Shinobi in under short time, tilting his head in consideration on whether or not to expand the Shinobi regirstration form was idealy being played in his head until it was ultimate destroyied. Many civilians, even in Konoha, were wary and slightly distrustful of them not that he could blame them. It was human nature to fear what they could not understand.

Just like how Shinobi believed themselves to be above the rules, his eyes flashed darkly.

Hiruzen often wondered just why he had taken the position of the Hokage day and day out, despairing upon an empty answer. Until his eyes landed upon that rekindle the flame within him like the letter sent to him by that reminded the man of why he resumed in taking the role of the Hokage.

For the sake of the children and the people who had the Will of fire that burnt the brightest.

Speaking of the children... Hiruzen frowned as his eyes narrowed into cold slits his mind locking on to one child that had recently been on his mind: Uzumaki Naruto. It seemed that the boy still had some difficulty adjusting to his new status (and he wasn't just talking about becoming a Genin) along with the callous and frigid treatment that his team mates seemed to inflict upon him. Hiruzen grimaced, he had debated long and hard whether or not it would have been such a good idea to placed Haruno Sakura on the same team as Sasuke and Naruto mainly due to her blind crush on the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan. Sasuke and Naruto, the Rookie of the Year and Dead Last were always placed together in order to help balance each other out and usually ended up being good friends. Hiruzen would not deny the fact that over the years the stems of friendship and rivalry had begun to twist and turn into vile tainted desires causing the bonds of friendship to shatter.

Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.

Himself and Shimura Danzou.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

Minato's generation seemed to have cleansed the cycle of hatred or at least that had been what Hiruzen had hoped anyhow. It seemed that the threads of hate and bitterness remained seeded into the soil of the two individuals in away it felt like history was repeating its self.

Uzumaki Naruto, the child of Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato. One whom held a distant blood relation to the Senju family, the creators of Konohagakure no Sato and the first two Hokages. The boy seemed to take straight after his mother despite having his father's appearance.

Uchiha Sasuke, the second child of Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku. Hiruzen's eyes flashed at the thought of that traitor. A boy whose appearence was that of his mother, but his heart and personality reflected that of the ruthless tyrant, Fugaku.

It was like fate for them to be together and to fight one another.

Hiruzen sighed heavily; it didn't help that Kakashi seemed to happily allow this 'rivalry' to escalate and even added to it in order to help his students (AKA Sasuke while leaving Sakura and Naruto behind), also the fact the mighty Copy-Nin barely trained them or forced them to do anything even close to the training that Kakashi himself had received wen he was a Genin.

Having a Hokage suddenly changing squads over a concern like that was not only showing his favourtisim towards the boy but also showing a sign of weakness, yes Hiruzen loved Naruto as if he was his own true grandson much like Konohamaru but unless Naruto himself presented the option to switch squads then there was nothing he could do.

A loud banging on the door interrupted his thoughts. Looking straight over he allowed the visitor in, revealing to be Aoba. The Tokubetsu Jounin was covering for Kotetsu and Izumo's absence at the post much to the man's dismay though it could have been helped however it seemed the man seemed a bit grim for his tastes his glasses gave off the darkest of expressions.

"Hokage, sir?" The man's voice was grim as he entered the room approaching the Hokage. "I have bad news to report." Continuing after the look given to him by the Hokage," Squad 12 has mission has been accomplished, however it seems that the danger rate for the mission was false."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. "Explain."

Aoba took a deep breath. "Squad 12, with only one sole survivor, has been killed."

* * *

_Hayate_

The sounds of metal clashing against one another could be heard from a distance followed by the splashing of water underneath.

"Your going to try harder if you think you can knock me down!" Hayate shouted whipping his blade to the side while holding a firm lock on the young boy. Harry had come far since he had begun his training, not to mention the boy seemed to grow faster and faster with each passing minute. His reflex and dodging were perfect and surprisingly acute for a former civilian mainly Pre-Genin and Genin still did not have the same level of reflex that Harry seemed to have developed. Could it have been from the abuse or was it something much more? He had nothing concrete to work with. The swordman tipped his blade over his shoulder and watched as the younger one began to quickly form hand seals.

His eyes narrowed. 'Those hand signs are...' Widening sharply. 'So quickly!'

"-BUSHIN!" Harry's voice growled out as a pop formed after a cloud of dust eventually disburst into a perfected clone of the boy, standing on the right side holding a blade. Both; the clone and the original shifted into offensive positions before flickering towards him.

Unfortunately Hayate's surprise at the boy's skill had vanished as quickly as it had appeared and took advantage of the flickering, dodging both of their attacks and grabbing their legs hurtling them to the opposite ends of the lake before rushing towards at an alarming rate and slashing it. Turning his attention towards his student a smile slide upon his face before lunging forward towards Harry fully intending to end this little sparing sessions as quickly as possible. Pushing some chakra straight into his blade the swordsman also used his free hand to summon another TWO clones be each side of himself before allowing himself to grin at seeing the rather taken back look on Harry's face before leaping straight into the air with his clones.

"Dance of the Typhoon!"

Harry's head snapped towards the sides as the clones seemed to have vanished from the sight only for water beneath him instantly shot up all around him, trapping him inside the cylinder-like vortex. For a moment the water that surrounded Harry stilled for a moment. Just a moment before the walls rushed towards each other as the water began to layer upon one another it pour down, wrapping around into a sharpened pointed spiral that was ready to crush him from within the tunnel.

A loud explosion formed as waves formed in it the wake of it.

The swordsman slid his sword back into the sheath, staring at the boy amused. "Have fun?"

"T... that was cruel sensei..." Harry coughed out, his clothes tore and slightly bruised while holding on to the two shurikens that acted as his shields against in order to lessen the damage being dealt to him. The raven haired boy struggled to keep himself on his feet, the flickering of the chakra began to fade a bit as Harry glared at him. "Was the really necessary?"

Hayate beamed happily. "Of course it was my cute little student. I had to show just how lethal a weapon cominbed with the Kage Bushin and Ninjutsu could be when facing off a high-leveled shinobi, I'll admit using the shuriken as shields and charging them with electricty was a good idea. Food for though; try next time to counter the opposing jutsu. Not blow it up."

Harry grinned sheepishly at that.

"I'm impressed on how far you've come, Harry-kun. Learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu within two days is quite a feat you should be proud of yourself." Hayate praised warmly and watched bemused as the boy's face instantly turned pure red from it. Harry still seemed to adjusting to kind words a bit. "Can you tell me what you did wrong?"

Harry frowned. "I... didn't create enough Shadow clones and allowed my moves to be read visibly to the enemy... and overcharged my Lightning Jutsu."

"Shadow Clones is demanding when it comes to using Chakra, I will not fault fault you for only creating one. Reserving one's chakra is a smart idea." 'And can save your life in the long run' Hayate added mentally while gazing down at the young boy. "You have Shuriken and Kunai on you correct?" At the boy's nod the older man continued. "Devoting yourself to one weapon and one style can very well get you killed, but at the same time it provides you with an edge in battle and improving your style. A man in my village by the name of Gai is a pure Taijutsu specialist, his entire body is entirely of physical power and has been deemed a 'Demon of Strength' and has not survived a lost in battle." Holding out his blade towards the young boy. "I come from a sword-based Shinobi family thus I train myself diligently day in and out in order to prefect it. That is not to say that I don't devote myself to taking the time to master my other abilities, the sword is simply apart of me and always will be. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"I... think so. Having one speciality is difficult using on a battle field but at the same time it can help throw off the enemy by constantly use it being revealing another 'speciality'. A track of all trades, but a master of nothing." Harry stated hesitatly unsure if he was right or not.

Hayate raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps." Not indicating if the boy was right or wrong. "Well be sparing again but this time we'll be sparing with weapons only instead of a mix of what you have learned thus far." The man's tired smile become vicious and cold. "I sincerely hope you brought even kunai today."

Harry resisted the urge to whimper.

* * *

_Raidou_

Working with this man was... refreshing for Harry. The man was that of few words and kept mostly to himself, but when Raidou spoke it was usually informative and kind. The man always seemed to explain things to Harry calmly and in away that made sense to him; not that any of the others had been difficult. He did not damned as much as the others did and preferred it for Harry to take things slowly, not wanting either of them to rush ahead without understanding the basic of the basics. Taijutsu was the power of the body that could stretch the limits of a normal human person in all aspects. Just watching a spar between Genma and Raidou nearly made Harry's eyes bug straight out of his skull watching as the two fought against each other in alarming speed and strength.

It amazed him, the mere sight of the two fighting made nearly made him chock in excitement and thrill.

The man had begun teaching Harry various exercises and movements so that his body could flow better and smoother; the difference between him and Raidou was not simply age. No, but also the structure of their bodies; Harry was short (due to negelection unfortunately) and skinny those types of bodies were difficult to form muscles which was why Harry had started to wear weights. The older man's body was built strong and rigid, plus the man had been trained since he was child to be Shinobi, the fact that Harry had been wearing weights had hadn't been a good idea in his opinion anyway but promised to help Harry if need be by sending letters to the man called 'Gai'. The strangest part about that conversation had been this:

"Harry if you ever receive ANYTHING by someone called 'The Green Beast of Konoha' I want you to burn it. Understand?" Raidou told him one day, absolutely randomly with the strangest look in his eyes. As his hands firmly placed upon the boy's shoulders.

"Err... why?"

Raidou's eyes twitched. "Don't. ASK."

After that Harry never brought it up again. Or anything about Gai, unless one of the Shinobi brought it up first.

The main things that Raidou had covered was probably the most important things he had learned: Patience. In order to be a Shinobi patience was required in order to get from point A to point B, it took time and effort to grow as a person and to get good understand with control.

The man had smiled down at him very fatherly. "I'm not expecting you to memorize or even perfect these techniques quickly as possible. It took me years in order get where I am today." His eyes shined with sincerity and honesty. "But that doesn't mean I can't help lend you a hand."

Sparing with Raidou as far different from sparing with Hayate or even Anko. It was quick and decisive before Harry had even realized what had happened, while the man had praised his skills in dodging and reaction it seemed he had lacked the intuition and knowledge how dealing with physical assaults. Raidou had proved it over and over again usually having Harry end up straight on his ass until they resumed again, every time improving with results though still lacking in some areas. While strength was important it wasn't the most important thing when it came to a fight, being able to defend and counter the attack were vital in a fight.

Morning exercises consisted in running around the castle and the Quidditch field before pushing up sit ups and push ups. Then came dodging practice with dulled kunai and finally moving straight towards sparring, Raidou had also taught Harry the Shunshin Jutsu in order to make the fighting a bit more... interesting.

After being beaten again, Harry rubbed his back as Raidou chuckled softly. "You still have a lot to learn, but you've certainly improved." Helping the boy up as gave a good slap on the back. "Ready to try this again?" Not even waiting for answer the silent man walked back over to his side where he stood patiently waiting for Harry to resume position.

Harry was starting to get a bit agitated at getting his ass kicked repeatedly there just had to be away for him to beat or at least stand his ground against the other. He was fully aware of the fact _that_ in terms of strength Harry was at least Pre-Genin to Genin level when it came to Taijutsu while Raidou was a Tokubetsu Jounin, far superior in strength and mobility. It was rather difficult combating the man on an even level playing field plus while Harry had the advantage of height it still seemed like a disadvantage. Could he his Chakra somehow...

Use his Chakra.

Harry felt his body still for a moment, glancing at his hands. 'Could I really...?'

"Here I come!" Raidou announced charging straight towards the boy swiftly pulling his arms behind him, before sharply snapping his leg across the air aiming for the boy's head. Smirking as the boy was able to dodge the kick before lunging his arm forward. Watching as Harry used his elbows to block the attack before gripping Raidou's left wrist, smiling as the boy threw him against the nearest wall and began to pull back an army. Which didn't really concern him all that much really since the boy did lack the stren-

"HYA!"

The sounds of the wall shattering behind him sent a shock straight towards his system, his eyes bugged out completely. Slowly... very slowly Raidou turned before finding himself gapping in near horror the crater that had been formed from the punch's wake.

_'T... this shouldn't be even remotely possible...' _Raidou tried to rationalize. There was simply NO way Harry could have been able to that at THIS age turning back slowly to the arrogant smirk on the boy's face as he began to prepare another punch. "I-I think that's enough for now, Harry."

The boy frowned. "Why?"

"J... just because. I think it's good time to stop and get something to eat. That's all." Seeing the disbeliving look Raidou quickly followed up with. "Really I forgot to eat this morning so I'm extremely hungry." It was damn right lie, thankfully the boy didn't call him out on it as they made their way to the door with him flickering back to the wall.

_'... I REALLY hope that Dumbledore-sensei has large budget... and insurance.'_

* * *

_Anko_

"YOU CRAZY FUCKING BITCH!"

Anko's insane glee seemed to have echoed through out the entire castle while she happily threw poison-laced shuriken towards her young student and watched with amusement as Harry narrowly dodged newly sharpened needles that skimmed across the back of his neck causing the boy's hair to stand on end.

The woman was crazy, insane, absolutely demanding and took glee in seeing Harry suffer from her training. Which is probably why Harry seemed to enjoy his training sessions with her the most as he dodged another swarm of kunai as he leaped straight into the air before throwing his own set of kunai towards the older woman. Anko wasn't the type of person who would allow Harry to even get a moments rest or recover. No, she could attack him relentlessly like a raging storm and do everything to see horrorfying reality within the bleak cruel world. The way he had come to see the world had all but been replaced by Anko's words and vision. At first, it had frightened him beyond recongition to what the woman had been teaching him. It really had. But he had glad that he was frightened.

Her gaze had been soft that day, Harry remembered it clearly after sparring with Ninjutsu and Genjutsu.

"Good kiddo," Anko began sitting beside him." Fearing is a human emotion, one that should not be disregarded or seen as weakness. Without fear, it means you've overcome the bounds of the world and tried to ascend into something that's barely human. In way you'd have to stop calling yourself a human." She gazed at him deeply. "Never stop fearing, never consider it a weakness. It's nothing to be ashamed of." The woman had flashed him a motherly smile before it turned feral again. "Now let's get back to work!"

Shuddering as the miasma that came from in front of him, Harry covered his mouth in order to prevent it from entering his system and suffocating him. He had enough experinece with poisons for a lifetime! recalling the incident from last year.

"Hurry it up brat or else I'll have to make this course even more difficult!" Anko's voice shrilled into his head mockingly.

There was already a Genjutsu that prevented Harry from utulizing his Chakra AND caused the oxygen in the room to become dense, which meant it was rather difficult to move and breath. In general his body felt heavier then ever and his lungs seemed to have become restricted in a sense, Harry gripped his chest while feeling a strange burn through his body-

"GOTCHYA!" The sinister laughter of Anko snapped Harry out of his thoughts as the woman appeared above him with a rather sharp blade, looking ready to strike him across the face. The blade it's self looked sharp enough to leave a badly wounded scar if Harry wasn't careful.

Harry's used his free hand to make a seal. "Suiton: Sharp Turtle Barrier!"

A giant bubble of water formed around his body forming into a similar shape of a turtle's shell. Right at the centre of the water-shell, the mere spots of water began to twist and turn to form sharp pointed edges acting as it's offensive outlet.

Anko smirked. The bladed wielding hand fell straight towards the side, tilting her head before vanishing.

"A clone!" Harry realized only to feel the sharp pointed blade resting against his flesh. His body shivered as his glanced towards the side and saw the woman standing behind him, her free arm wrapped around his body thus holding him into place. The disturbance of his focus began to effect the Ninjutsu which lead the water that encased him to burst open, the water splashing everywhere. The woman's arm still held him as they fell straight back to the bottom of the room as it reverted into a simply brick one with nothing in it. "Damn it..."

Anko shrugged if a bit giddy. "Nothing to worry about kiddo, you've gotten a bit faster and resourceful. Didn't know the you learned a defensive Suiton Jutsu though, who taught you that?"

"Hayate-sensei." Harry answered while scratching his cheek sheepishly. "He wanted me to prepare in case I was attacked by a certain 'Psychotic-man eating woman' his words not mine." He watched curiously as Anko raised an eyebrow at that before grinning evily. He shuddered, glad that it was Hayate rather then him. "I also know Raiton: Shuriken Static Runner-"

"Yeah, yeah. That Jutsu you used during your Water-Walking spar, Haya-chan told me about that one." Waving her hand in dismissal as she grinned widely at him. "You learn quickly for a Pre-Genin, kiddo. I'm proud of yeah, you got more then half-way through my course today too!"

Harry face faulted. Not certain if he should be that happy or not. The course was the entire castle plus the lake and the forest, usually set with deadly traps and poison-laced weapons that could either have him ended paralyzed or killed on sight.

Anko strerched her arms outward. "Anyway I think that's enough for today," Yawning loudly as she tried to whip the sleep from her eyes. "I'm dead on my feet. Dealing with that obnxious asshole really took all of my energy out of me today."

"Obnixious asshole?" Lockhart came to Harry's mind.

"Yeah that Snape guy." Shuddering," Give me the creeps, makes me wonder if he ever showers in the morning or not. Hmmm..." Sly grin began to form on her face while her eyes glinted maliciously. "Maybe I should introduce him to shampoo and conditioner!"

Harry chocked.

T... that wasn't going to turn out well.

* * *

_Konoha_

Nearly an entire month had passed since sending Team Iruka to England, much had happened since then.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was ecstatic to hear of the young boy's training and how far he had come in his studies, Iruka had been kind enough to send a photo of the boy. The old man couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu when looking at this boy, he seemed very familiar to him. It wasn't a bad feeling at all either, rather it was calming and serene. However that wasn't why he was at the mission room today, no. Hiruzen's eyes gazed over the team that had been assembled together for the mission that was about to be unfold. His eyes landed on two people in particular.

A young man with blue hair, whose gaze was well composed and stoic regarding the man with respect and silence awaiting the orders he was about to receive. No longer was the boy, whom Hiruzen had recalled, usually lacked a shirt now was decked from head to toe with clothing. After what had happened the Hokage could not fault him or criticize the boy for his decision. In time he would learn from it. The semi-oldest member of the Genins that had been brought to his office, he was the most experienced which would be needed for the up coming trials ahead.

Beside him was a quite, but determined girl that Sarutobi felt that he had damned far long ago. To see her blazing will that echoed a bell, the man sincerely hoped that he man the right decision for the young child. Maybe... just maybe the power of magic could save her...

His eyes narrowed sharply.

"Your mission is an C-Rank Mission to Hogwarts via ferry. Please bring Kurama Yakumo and Tsukikaiyou Yuushi to the school and deliver this scroll to Team Iruka." Sarutobi's voice was hard as steel and gaze firm as ice. "This mission will be a duration of week to two weeks. I will expect you to report to my office once completed. Asuma, you will be leading the Team."

"Yatta! Another C-Rank Mission! Thanks Jiji-san!" The blonde hyperactive Shinobi, called Naruto sang happily while jumping straight into the air. Behind the mask he was far more then thankful then what those around him could see, he needed this. The boy told himself silently, he needed away from Konoha. Away from his team. If only for a week or so. Then he'd bounce back. Just like he always did.

A snort was heard. "Naruto, your troublesome." Nara Shikamaru thought this entire thing was troublesome, though it was the Hokage's orders so he really couldn't say anything. He didn't personally mind Naruto all that much however he was glad to have Shino and Asuma with him. It make the trip far more tolerable. Ino was busy helping out with her mother's Flower Shop due to her being ill and Chouji was training with his family in order to learn some new family Jutsus thus he was stuck with the team at that moment.

Shino well... he was Shino. He simply nodded.

"Alright, Team Asuma move!"

* * *

I am SO sorry that this chapter is late! I finished it several weeks ago, but school got in the way! As you all know RL and school come first. Also I want thank my wonderful beta; PyromaniacBlackWings for the lovely job that she has done editing this chapter and I thank all of you for reading and reviewing.

*Yuushi Tsukikaiyou is an original character developed for the purpose of building Harry's team. i HAVE looked at other fandoms in order to use a character, unfortunately I couldn't find a character that could suit my purpose. So PLEASE bare with the OC, that's all I ask.

Kazukimi: I'm glad to see that you approved, honesty I was a bit surprised that Rowling didn't bring in (other then the Weasleys) to become Harry's rescuers from the Durlsyes, his condition should have at least caught the attention of the staff or another adult. Awesome Clone! Tsunade is definitely Awesome!

**Dark Neko 4000:** Your just going to have to read to find out.

_twilightserius: _That would be a very interesting idea, but since Harry is a beginner at using Chakra it would probably take a long while before getting it done.

DrgnMstr: I'm honestly tired and perplexed by the whole 'Konoha cast go to Hogwarts to protect' said person, at 'this many years' or 'ANBU Career' it's quite annoying and irritating since it's the same rehashed plot over and over, with canon pairings. Urgh.

webpixie: yeah... for some reason some of my paragraphs and lines end up getting cut off and I can't find the reason why, by any chance do you know? Also for that I have an explanation for Dumbledore casting the spell over Kotetsu; he never heard him speak so naturally Dumbledore thought that he was unable to speak english. Kotetsu has bigger issues to deal with then talking. For the bones, the stinging of the pain as in the pain began to dull so Harry felt it. I hope I cleared that up a bit.

**Painted-Purple:** Thanks! Well there's a severe difference between 'Escort' and 'Guard Missions' as you can see at the end of the chapter. Team Asuma is 'escorting to Hogwarts' rather then going Iruka's Team on their mission, for me that make a lot more sense then having the Rookie 9 actually go and defend Harry themselves. Let's just say there's going to be subplot building up, that's all I'm going to say about Hayate's love problems. As for Team Seven, I'm trying to keep as close as in character for them as possible by still making it hilarous, Kakashi was a failure as teacher; a great Shinobi but a horrible teacher. As for Sasuke... yeah. I NEVER saw the point to his character other then him being Naruto's rival and all-around tough guy. As you can see in this chapter *points* that's exactly what I did.

_Silvermane1:_ Thanks!

kirallie: Thanks! I don't honestly see Dumbledore as an evil person, simply blinded and misguided over the years. After all, he is a human. All humans make mistakes.

jgood27: Thanks!

**Aurora Leon DelLuna: **The words Mukuro Rokudo comes to mind. *muses and looks thoughtful* hmmm...

_Exodiano: _Lol, thank you for voting I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

917brat: Hehehehe... I have several ideas with Magic Healing and Chakra Heal don't you worry about that *cackles*

**mishap:** Why thank you, I'm glad that my fic has caught your interest. I'll admit it's actually very difficult with writing lesser known characters Ex: ike Izumo and Kotetsu, I'm happy to hear that you think I'm doing them justice. There will be several scenes that will be kept canon mainly because I actually have some ideas that I use and sculpt to my needs. I plan on divulging deeper into Harry's and Anko's relationship, though I'm going to make this statement: SNAKES will NOT be Harry's summon. And don't worry, your not being bossy I like it when reviews bounce some ideas in their reviews I think it helps the writer in a lot of ways. You'll definitely be seeing what Harry has grown into in the next chapter *grins*

_izzywizzyme:_ Thanks! And nice idea to consider, thank you.

Cosmos Angel and Yami Chaos: Thanks I will thank you!

Harry's POSSIBLE pairings: Pein, Yuushi (Maybe), Utakata, Shi, *T, *M.

Naruto's POSSIBLE pairings: Pein, Kiba, Shikamaru, Itachi, *S, *M.

Please note that this is NOT a poll; merely ideas; also T, M and S are CANON characters.

Male Tsunade: 11

Clone! Minato: zero.

Other details-

Medic-Nin with Ninjutsu and Genjutsu: 1

Tsunade Route with Seals: 3

Tsunade Route with Runes and seals: 4

Tsunade Route with Mediwizard and Ninjutsu: 1

Genjutsu Master: 1

Remember: If you've voted ALREADY you CANNOT vote again for Harry's Path.

Once again, please leave constructive criticism in your reviews!


	4. Crossroads

Chapter Four: Crossroads

"Naruto."

The station was filled with giant crowds of people; men, women, children and even families trying to pass by and get onto their respective trains; thankfully there hadn't been too many that they wouldn't be able to move. The only problem was the culture shock they had received up on arriving; a place where Shinobi didn't exist, except in fables, fairy tales, and folklore. That alone had been enough to shake them and only added for the needed of concealment for the mission at hand. It wouldn't do to scare people by destroying their ignorance. Still, while it was strange to hear of places where Shinobi had been degraded into nothing but fiction they nonetheless found themselves rather fascinated by the technology and advancements that they had come across while being in London.

One of which had caught Naruto's attention: Cellphones.

Shikamaru paused as the blonde continued to snap his head around gazing at the cellphones with glee. "Naruto." The Nara had adapted himself by wearing a grey t-shirt underneath a green coat similar to what he usually wore back home in Konoha with blue jeans and sandals. The lazy boy blinked tiredly at the other. "Naruto, will you calm down already?"

"But it's SO cool Shikamaru!" The blonde gushed out energetically, as his eyes danced with awe.

The boy's eyes twitched. "Troublesome, we have a mission remember?"

"Yeah, yeah. I know don't worry about it!" Naruto grinned widely at the other boy before adding in his peace sign at the end. Just like Shikamaru, he had been forced to change into something less suspicious and wore an orange jacket overtop a black shirt with the circular spiral on the back and black pants and around his hands were a pair of fingerless gloves. "This place is just so DIFFERENT then back home, we should take time to look around right?"

Asuma chuckled. "Fun as that would be Naruto, our orders are strict: Escort Kurama-san and Tsukikaiyou-san to this... Hogwarts place and report back within the time limit, unless disaster strikes of course. He highly doubted that the any disasters would happen despite it being a C-Rank mission."

It nearly took all of Naruto's willpower not to flinch openly in front of the group; recalling the incident in the Land of Waves and the battle on the bridge. The deaths of Zabuza and Haku were still fresh in his mind. He was unable to stop them from replying in the depths of his dreams and while the pain of faded over time it was still there; tormenting him in the back of his mind. It wasn't as bad or as horrifying as his usual ones. He had expected that one day death would eventually cross his path it was just that... Naruto hadn't honestly thought he would have become acquainted with it so early in his career. Suppressing a cold shudder he forced a smile on his face while giving the instructor of Team 10, a thumbs up before folding his arms over his head.

Mastering his emotions had been the first thing he been able to cover, despite what he said or his facial expressions. It was easier to fake being cheerful, excited and happy then to be sullen and depressed; it was a good cover to through off people that were trying to determine what he was feeling. Very few people could see past his emotional guard; one of them was the Hokage and honestly Naruto, even was surprised that the old man had been able to see past the mask. The other was Umino Iruka, the only man whom was willing enough to befriend and get to know him rather then ditching him to the sidelines like a sensei who-would-not-be-named *coughKakacough* due to the man's own emotional deficients growing up similar to Naruto himself. It was also the reason why Iruka had sought him out in the first place, because he had been there just where Naruto was now. An orphan, lonely and lost. Not that he'd ever admit aloud. Konohamaru was a close third but...

There had was one more person. He didn't know the guy's name but, Naruto appreciated what he done for him all those years ago...

_He had only been around five, or six years old at the time. After finishing his first day in the Ninja Academy and several months after meeting Iruka, he had decided to treat himself to a bowel of Ramen at Ichiraku's; in his opinion it was the best Ramen the world had ever seen! The old man and his daughter, Ayame had also been very kind to him and treated him whenever, unfortunately not for free of course; though in all honest Hokage-Jiji and Iruka-sensei had always taken care of the bill in the past. _

_"Hey isn't that..." A voice whispered behind him, it nearly made Naruto want to freeze up. Feeling the harsh, heavy breath behind him filled with alcohol in the air. "Yeah... that's him. The little bastard."_

_A round of chuckles were heard. Wasn't it too early for people to be going out and getting drunk? Footsteps echoed and the shadows stretched across the buildings. Ever sense of Naruto's body had began to scream at him and run, run and don't look back! _

_He had hadn't been fast enough..._

_The very back of his shirt had been caught and before he had even registered it, his feet had been lifted off the ground. His body went straight into panic, however it remained utterly still like a statue. What should he do? What could have he done? There was no way he could take on all four of these adult men! Civilian or not, there had been no chance of him winning at all. He shivered feeling the contact of flesh brush against his own slightly as the towers of these men began to form over him, blocking the rays of light from his eyes. The urge to shout and scream were obviously on his mind but really... would anyone come to his aid at all? _

_"Well, well, well. Little demon, out here all alone?" Dark. Tone. Sinister intentions. Didn't take a genius to figure out where this was going._

_He wanted to get away. Away. AWAY!_

_For a brief moment he had felt nothing at all until his body suddenly became light and soared straight through the air, the dark-filled eyes that promised pain. Looking around him, hoping that someone... anyone would come to his aid! _

_No one did. _

_Instead they gazed at him with deep resentment and twisted pleasure at seeing him suffer like this. Like it was a game to the civilian populous, none of them would dare help him without losing their precious game. In a way, he had come to accept it despairingly. _

_The power of belief and faith, no matter how much he preached it endlessly it never seems to come through. _

_"I highly suggest you unhand him." A saviour? A man wearing a strange uniform appeared, his appearance clouded in darkness and a white mask covering his face. The mask itself was stained with red marks painted each direction. "Now." Spiky brown hair, too. _

_"And whatta you go'in to do about it?" One of the drunkards spat angrily, a bottle still being held in his hand. Empty as could be as he smashed it against the wall and the small shards of glass landed on the ground as he placed straight towards the kid's neck. "C'mon any closer and i'll...Gwah!" _

_The guy never knew what hit him. His arm twisted in several painful ways while the two blue orbs widened in awe as the man screamed and shouted pitifully, the others tried in vain to aid their comrade only to receive the same treatment and end up laying on the ground holding their bruises. _

_The guy didn't even need his eyes to install fear. "Get lost. Never do that again." _

_"That was awesome! Teach me! Teach me! I wanna learn how to do that!" Naruto beamed trying to get the man's attention. _

_The man's body language shook with amusement. "When your older, Naruto. Let's get you home." After that he never saw the guy again, however the linger memory and words remained carved within his brain. He had tried to look and search for the man only to come up empty handed. _

_That man just where was he-_

"NARUTO!"

The blonde flinched at the sudden outburst from Shikamaru. "What?"

"Keep your head in the game, will ya? Your so damn troublesome..." The Nara repeated under his breath eyeing him tiredly. The blonde had started to be drawn in too deep into his own thoughts, wearing a look of sorrowful longing. Because he didn't know much about the blonde haired boy due to lack of information and interaction with him also left Shikamaru at a total loss of how to evaluate his current team for the duration of the mission. At the same time, Naruto was friendly and held an eagerness to learn despite being dense and disruptive at the Academy. Then again none of the teachers with the exception of Iruka-sensei really showed any interest in helping and correcting the boy's methods.

Maybe he was looking far too deep into things. Shikamaru's gaze switched over towards Kurama Yakumo and Tsukikaiyou Yuushi, the new team mates for Team Twelve. The fact that a civilian had turned into a Shinobi had been a bit unsettling. Though, Shikamaru was a simply Genin. The Hokage's Orders were orders, thus he would carry them out.

"Who were we supposed to meet again?" Yakumo asked looking around curiously and trying to not to look suspicious. Unsure in the rather loose clothes that civilians were use to wearing, along with a short shirt that reached just to her knees while wearing a pair of jeans. "What were their names...?"

Yuushi smiled, slightly. "... Weasleys. The family name is Weasley."

Being the eldest bar Asuma the teen eyed the young Shinobi carefully ready to come to their aid when necessary. The month before left a bitter taste in his mouth and mind that weakness of his had forced him into becoming what he was now, someone who would not fail again. This new team, while not entirely overjoyed with the circumstances Yuushi knew that it was the most logical outcome. His face hardened.

Never again would he be weak, never.

"They're here now." The quiet voice of Shino broke the silence. The insect-using teenager looked directly towards the horde of red-haired children chatting away happily slowly making there way towards the general vicinity. A younger girl with bushy hair had her lips pressed together eyeing the train station worryingly, her mind obvious open other matters. "Should we proceed Asuma-sensei?"

The smoking Shinobi's slitted eyes rested upon the red horde carefully. "Let's wait for now...I want to see what kind of people they are." Sarutobi Asuma, Leader of Team 10 had received a rather rude awakening prior to accepting the mission, which disturbed him greatly. Needless to say his mood and feelings had gone under left him with having second thoughts about first impressions. His eyes narrowed gazing at Shino briefly before returning his full attention on the group. A rather plump woman spotted him and smiled.

"Are you Mr. Sarutobi?" The woman asked kindly, smiling at him parentally.

Asuma nodded, remembering customs here. "Yes, I am." His broken english evident and shaky, gesturing to his team. "These are my students, please treat them well."

The woman nodded," Oh! I forgot to introduce myself where are my manners? I'm Molly Weasley. These are my children, Percy." The boy with the glasses and pompous look on his face nodded. "The twins; Fred and George-"

"Mum!" One of the identical boys protested. "I'm George, HE's Fred."

The second shook his head. "Honestly woman, you call yourself our mother." The entirely thing said in mocking sorrow as Asuma and Naruto snorted audible understanding the mechanics that was being played between the twins, didn't take a genius to figure out.

"Oh, I'm sorry George." Molly sounded apologetic at the boy.

The boy grinned. "Just joking, I really am Fred."

"Of course you are dear, keep thinking that." Molly responded as the Twins gawked in the background. Ignoring the twins utterly, "This is my youngest son, Ron. He'll be in third year this year," The small red haired boy gave a small smile and wave. "And my little girl, Ginny."

"Hi..." Ginny blushed shyly at them looking away.

The bushy haired girl looked at them, eyes opening in realization. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Hermione Granger, pleasure to meet you."

"Na... Shikamaru Nara." The lazy boy introduced a bit tiredly, his thoughts revolving around sleeping and staring up at the clouds.

Shino pushed his glasses up. "... Shino Aburame..." before returning to the shadows, ignoring the rest of them.

"Naruto Uzumaki!" The blonde chirped rather happily and grinning like a fool, the blue orbs dancing with delight and young boy looked ready to jump place to place, it was actually humorous to watch the boy struggling to remain still.

"Yakumo Kurama, pleased to meet you." The red haired girl gave a rather weak and shy grin followed up by a polite bow. The physically-inept girl had manners and customs instilled in her since being born, the very idea of not bowing to a person seemed alien and difficult to comprehend.

Yuushi nodded briskly. "Yuushi Tsukikaiyou."

Molly beamed at them. "Now then, do all of know how to get onto to the train?" Dumbledore had informed her several days prior that a group of foreigners would be needing assistance in finding the Hogwarts Express, the poor dears must've been overwhelmed by the shock of being in a new country. Shaking her head, Molly continued to smile on the surface. "Do you see the platform with 9 and 10 on the board?"

"Errr... Yes, why?" Asuma was confused by the question.

Molly smile remained. "Percy, please give them a demonstration."

"Of course, Mother."

Naruto wrinkled his nose. What a pompous ass, the taller boy sounded so smug and almighty while holding his nose high to the air, as if he was someone actually important. It was quite funny really, the blonde thought with a silent snort.

"What is he doing!" Shikamaru exclaimed, horrified while watching the pompous teen ran towards the pillar of platforms 9 and 10, ignoring the obvious dangers could come after. His shouting ceased as the boy vanished. Right. .Wall. The Genin felt his eyes bugging out as he gaped.

What the hell?

"It's a barrier," Hermione explained noticing the perplexed look upon the foreigner's faces. "It only LOOKS like a pillar, in reality it's a doorway that leads straight to the Hogwarts Express Station. It was forged and built by Helga Hufflepuff during the late years of the school and was later continued upon after the last of the founders died." Saying this all very fast, "The barrier itself was designed for students and parents to get to the platform without being noticed by muggles, the area it self has a 'Notice-Me-Not' Charm and Muggle-Repelling charms as well."

Naruto frowned. "Muggle?" Clearly not understanding the world. "Is that some type of food?" horrified

"Muggle means person that doesn't have magic," Molly answered.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. 'A bit derogatory and unnecessary classification. Simple because some people are unable to preform this 'magic' labels are given to them? Troublesome.' It was too troublesome for him to say out loud, plus he didn't want to cause a troublesome commotion anyway. Yawning lazily, he went through the barrier chasing after a rather hyperactive blonde Shinobi.

Shino, on the other hand seemed mildly agitated by the labeling. The mere idea of it highly offended the young Shinobi and was unable to see a logical reasoning as to why these wizards would willingly not only separate themselves from the open world and do everything in their power to distance themselves from it. Observing the family before them, it was quite obvious that they held an interest about these people they called 'muggles' , from what the lazy teen could see the exception of the pointless fear and need for secrecy gleamed brightly in their eyes. The lack of embracement and boldness, irked the silent boy. What sense was there to hide themselves from society? Sooner or late someone was bound to discover and eventually, expose them.

By that time, Shino sincerely hoped he'd be as far away as possible.

"O-Oi Naruto!" Shikamaru's cry got the boy's attention, noticing that the blonde was gripping the edge of his stomach rather tightly.

"Are you alright?" Yakumo asked quickly making her way over towards the blonde. Frowning as she tried to get a glimpse of the boy's face only to be blocked by the bangs and resistance that the other boy was putting up, the red head wished she knew medical Jutsu or some minor genjutsu. That way at least then she might be able to pinpoint the origin of pain.

The blonde winced, forcing a grin. "Y-yeah.. f-fine!" weakly holding up a thumbs up sign.

"Troublesome," The Nara murmured looking annoyed. "Stop trying to act tough, idiot."

Naruto simply grinned response.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Hermione questioned passing through the barrier just moments after Shino, her eyes clearly dancing with worry and disbelief. The huffy tone in her voice made the Shinobi tense at the tone of superiority in them. "I'm sure the Medi-witch on the train wouldn't mind taking a look at you."

"Nah!" The blonde grinned rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm fine, really!" Plus the blonde wasn't entirely certain how this 'Medi-witch' would react to seeing a containment seal on his stomach. Recalling the previous encounter back in Konoha just days before the mission. "C'mon, let's go guys!"

Asuma shook his head, grinning.

"... He's quite hyper," Yuushi remarked a bit surprised at the overwhelming energy the younger boy had. He had few interactions with Uzumaki-kun, thus it was still quite a surprise to witness his endless energy and stamina. "Is he always like that?"

Shikamaru looked at him. "You've spent time with him for a week, shouldn't it be obvious?" He said a not unkind way while folding his arms behind his head, his eyes piercing the tall teen with a look. "He's always been like this since I can remember. Not that I mind, it's just so damn troublesome."

'Typical Nara behavior,' The blue haired teen thought lazily following after the team while Yakumo talked with Hermione for a bit. He felt pretty bad for her since she WAS the only girl in the group at the moment thus Yakumo may not receive the... proper instructions or guidance. Damn. This sucked.

As they made their way straight to the compartments, Hermione gestured to one of them. "Would all of you like to join us?"

"Thank you for the offer Granger-san, however it seems like the compartment is nearly full." Asuma thanked the girl gesturing to compartment where the several figures could be seen through the glass window. "Maybe next time, don't worry we'll be right beside you in case something happens."

The girl opened her mouth to say something, then stopped. "Well..." she seemed a bit trouble. "Alright." She and Yakumo exchanged a small smile before separating ways.

Shikamaru sighed slipping straight onto the couch. "Troublesome..."

"Can't you say anything else?" Naruto question irritably still holding the side of his stomach. The blonde strained when he felt the eyes of Asuma settling on him and knew full well what was going through his head, it wasn't like it was his fault! The damn thing just started hurting for some reason, besides maybe it was just him being hungry, right? Scratching at the source of the pain the blonde began a bit of argument with the brunette haired teen whom replied with flat remarks.

"Yakumo?" Yuushi questioned the girl curiously. "Are you alright?"

The red haired girl blinked. "Hm? Oh..." blushing. "I'm fine. Thank you, Yuushi."

"... Okay then." The hell was that about?

Asuma lend back into the couch and smirked. Damn these things were comfy!

The door began to open as a teen became visible to them, the boy had wild jet black hair and the greenest eyes that they've ever seen. His face was masculine with a number of scars and he wore a simple gray shirt with beige jean was eyeing them cautiously with amusement. Around his hands were fingerless gloves with bandages wrapped in an 'x' like fashion across each glove while on the front of his shirt was a spiral, which some of them found rather odd. That detail didn't strike them as being too important.

"Can we help you?" Shino spoke up his attention being torn from the window to the stranger. There was no hostility in the newcomer's body language nor could he sense malice either however the Aburame didn't relax.

The boy scratched his head. "Well... I was wondering if you knew how many fire leaves would be seen during time of year..."

"Wa..." Asuma's nearly chocked on his own voice for several minutes staring at the teenager, before a smile slid on his face. "The answer is six. I'm guessing you're the new recruit, right?"

The boy nodded his head. "Yes, my name is Harry. Please to be meet all you, I promise I won't let any of you down." Bowing to them politely and respectively before resuming his stance. "Would it be too much to ask if I could join you in this compartment?"

Naruto was the first to respond. "Sure! The more the merrier!" The blonde was absolute beaming always ready to meet a fellow Shinobi and friend. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage! Believe it!"

"I know," Harry answered as he took a seat beside Asuma, smiling at the slightly smaller boy. The young boy didn't seem bothered by the stares that he was receiving from them. "Can I help you?" His voice was controlled and very polite without a hint of agitation or annoyance.

Yuushi coughed. "No, no, no no. Everything's fine. Sorry. My name is Tsukikaiyou Yuushi, you're new team mate. Nice to meet you." He gave a half-bow since he was sitting in a seat.

"Kurama Yakumo, please treat me favorably." The shy red head requested with blush, nonetheless smiling at the other boy openly. Her eyes shifted upwards at the boy before flickering quickly back to the ground, the boy seemed rather friendly. Kind of like Naruto, just without the blonde hair, blue eyes and hyperactive attitude. Giggling to herself she readjusted her gaze and saw the warm smile on his face, her cheeks tingled a deep pink.

Shikamaru looked at Harry, lazily. "You're the new recruit? How troublesome." The boy looked like he had been through hell though. How troublesome, another pragmatic person he had to deal with. The boy however, thanked himself that Ino hadn't come along with him or else he'd probably be hearing the endless talking of how 'cute' the boy looked compared to Sasuke. Groaning, it didn't bother him that much it was just simply annoying to listen too on a constant basis. Then again...

Ino was the only reason that Team 10 even worked. The blonde haired girl pushed them to train and train, despite the very girlish attitude she had towards life.

In fact, now that Shikamaru thought about the girl there was a dramatic change after graduating from the Academy even though the majority of her talking still revolved around the Uchiha, the girl still was adamant into turning the three cell team into a fully fledged and capable unit. That being said, Shikamaru was fully aware of the unfortunate outcome of Yuushi's former team with the exception of fully in depth details. After interacting with the rest of Team Asuma, Shikamaru's previous analyzations (of Shino and Naruto) and the news ones (Yakumo and Yuushi) had been an eye opener for him.

Shino had been a rather withdrawn and quiet kid growing up and hardly ever allowed himself to be bothered with interacting with others or even speaking up, unless it involved school work or a question. Now, the Aburame had begun to talk more openly though his facial expressions were still difficult to read his body language had become clear making it a bit easier to read the other boy. His skills still remained a mystery to him leaving Shikamaru at a bit of disadvantage of how to utilize their skills if need be. Not their had been any type of difficulty during their mission to Hogwarts, but it was better to be safe rather then sorry.

The next person on his list, had been Naruto. The blonde was still an idiot and loud as he had been before leaving the Academy, the only change in him was his stiffness and reactions. The boy was trying to do something, trying to keep something from becoming known; something dangerous. It didn't take Shikamaru all that much to actually figure out to be honest.

Even now, Naruto was still an open book.

it made Shikamaru wonder what exactly had changed the blonde into a desperate secret keeping boy from a usually loud, open idiot?

Troublesome.

"So what exactly can you do?" Yuushi asked boy, curiously eyeing the young teenager. His lips turned into a faint smile. "My main points are in Weapons and Taijutsu."

Harry blinked, stunned by the blunt question. "Me? Ummm... Medical Jutsu." Blushing at the surprised and incredulous stares he was receiving.

"Medical Jutsu, seriously?" Shikamaru gapped openly. A civilian up until a month ago had developed an affinity with medical based jutsu?

Shino pressed up his glasses. "An impressive feat."

"Really? AWESOME!" Naruto exclaimed at the top of his lungs, grinning like a child. "You must be an awesome Shinobi then!"

The boy continued to bluster. "I... I still have a lot to learn, thank you for the sentiments though." Harry replied.

"You should give yourself more credit, Hari-kun. A civilian turned into a Medic-Nin in month's time is outstanding." Asuma chided gently at the boy. "Don't sell yourself short. Having faith in yourself own abilities will help you grow."

Though grow into what, the Jounin thought to himself eyeing the child with interest. What was his father trying to do and what were is intentions anyway? Was he trying to build another branch outside here in England?

That would be with Konoha's economy and lack of Shinobi. He rationalized to himself, this magic he hadn't even thought about until encountering it. The bearded man had been taken back by the barrier having being unable to even sense the damn thing which could be used to aid Konoha if they could ever gain the technique from these Wizards.

Then again, the man's train of thought continued; what exactly was stopping them from attacking us?

Trust was a very delicate thing in the Shinobi world, it would either prove beneficial or end up stabbing the person in the back, traitors and cowards were everywhere within the Shinboi world. The information received from an enemy could result in the death of many comrades on the field.

His eyes hardened, Asuma wouldn't let that happen to these children who fell under his protection.

Meeting with the two emerald orbs for a brief second, him too he decided. As far as his father was concerned Hari-kun was a Konoha Shinobi thus that meant the kid was his responsibility too. There was something about this kid though that reminded him of someone... shrugging. Maybe it was just his imagination.

"My abilities revolve around Genjutsu." Yakumo continued chatting rather animatedly with her new team mates, her eyes shining brightly. It was rather strange for her to act this way, not that she was an unpleasant or rude person to be around; she was really quite kind. Growing up, she had little time for being around others as most of it was spent either learning to be a proper heiress for the clan or learning how to be a proper Shinobi so that the Kurama Clan would once again gain the prestige that it had lost since the heavy decline in births. "My Taijutsu needs some work though..."

Yuushi smiled. "I'll help you with that, Hari-kun will too, right?" He asked turning towards Harry.

"Sure. Mind teaching me how to use axes?" Harry responded with a smile already getting along with the two rather well. "I could teach you two some Medical jutsus too."

"That would be good, though I doubt that I'd be able to use it." The older boy wrinkled his nose. "My Chakra control needs a lot of work... despite being a Genin for several years, I mainly work on my Taijutsu and Weapon training rather then my Genjutsu and Ninjutsu..."

Asuma frowned. "You're leaving yourself rather open." The man didn't even wince the boy's eyes turned frigid**.**

"Don't worry." The distant and firm voice of the boy reassured. "I plan on fixing my mistakes as soon as I can."

So the kid really did blame himself? It wasn't even his fault to begin with, how could he have known what was going to transpire, let alone prevent what happened. No person could be a lone army. No one.

"They seem to be getting along rather well." Shino remarked once again pushing up his glasses watching the new team interact with one another.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah!" Grinning he added, "They'll probably be one hell of a team! Just like Sakura-chan and I!"

"Oi, oi!" Shikamaru interrupted with a pointed look. "What do you mean 'Sakura-chan and you? Ino tells me that Sakura constantly complains about you."

Naruto squawked.

Asuma blinked, looking at his students briefly for a moment before withdrawing deep into his thoughts. Did he use to act like that? Surely not. Shaking his head the Konoha Shinobi began to deeply crave a certain nicotine stick right now and let out a ferocious gruff, gazing at the window. Not having his fix was really starting to pry on his mind. Maybe Kurenai was right, quitting smoking might just be good for him.

Shino shifted a bit. "Someone is coming." His voice controlled and calm, ignoring the tensionthat had been created. from his words. They waited as the doors opened, only to realize it had been the opposite compartment that had been visited.

"Don't scare us like that Shino!" Yakumo scowled the stoic boy only to be met with a masked look. Pouting, the girl folded her arms over her chest and turned away. "Making us get defensive and everything..."

Shikamaru shook his head and sighed. "... Troublesome woman-"

"What was that?" She glared. HARD.

"Er... ah... w-well..."

Yuushi's lips curved into a soft smile**.** "Don't worry about those two, the Nara family is known for considering everything as 'troublesome' and are generally very lazy. So if he says something along those lines, just ignore it." He reassured Harry catching the bewildered look upon the younger boy's face. Ignoring the scene being played out by the two beside him while Naruto seemed to be trying to defend Yakumo, ultimately having Shikamaru make several Nara-type remarks. "The two of them are being rather loud." Shino commented calmly not even remotely phased by the other three's antics.

Harry nodded slowly, deciding to trust the words of his new team mate. "Well..." beginning slowly, nodding in the end. "If you say so."

The doors then slid open, revealing a platinum blonde haired boy with silver eyes. Beside him, were two kids that Asuma was pretty damn sure had just evolved from gorillas. And that wasn't saying much to say the least, while the blonde haired boy gazed down at them with a look of superiority and an arrogant grin that was filled with malicious and childish bullying.

Snorting quietly, it surprised the older male of how far some kids would go to establish power.

"Well, well look who we have here? Potty has some new friends. What? Get tired of the blood traitor and mudblood?" The blonde boy sneered trying to sound intelligent while his eyes flickered with glee at his insults.

Harry looked at him, bored. "Is that the only thing you could come up with Malfoy? Really, it's starting to get old. Try coming up with new insults rather then repeating the same rubbish you keep on spewing out."

"You'll pay for that one, Potter!" Malfoy hissed his hand sliding into his sleeve and whipping out his wand.

Or at least, that's what he tried to do.

Behind him, a cold metal was pressed against his neck. The young boy's body went rigid with fear and surprise and saw that his wand was now laying on the ground before Yakumo bent down and picked it up, holding it close to her chest. His free arm had been twisted backwards and placed right against his back and he shivered with pain, which he never experienced before in his entire life! Surly this mudblood should have known that, a pureblood like himself wasn't meant to be touch by such FILTH!

"Goyle! Crabbe! DO SOMETHING!"

Yuushi didn't even bother glancing as the two gorilla-like children cracked their knuckles ready to charge at the foreign boy.

"H-hey!"

Crabbe grunted in frustration. "I-I c-can't move!" Shadows suddenly connected to them.

"Success," Shikamaru commented his hands in the form of a seal, gazing at the two other boys while Naruto aided his comrades by knocking Crabbe and Goyle onto the ground helping the Nara keep the two in place.

"Let me go you filth mudbloods! My father-" Malfoy began to protest at the very top of his lungs.

"Will do NOTHING." Yuushi hissed coldly pressing the blade playfully against the irritating blonde's throat. "I severely doubt that he has any type of power to do anything to us," Sneering at the younger boy watching him shivering like a coward. "Man, your pathetic." Shaking his head and removing his kunai, Yuushi flashed over back towards Yakumo. "Get lost and don't bother us again."

Asuma simply looked at Malfoy. "I suggest you do as he says," Sounding rather amused at what had just been played out. "I won't hold him responsible for his actions."

"Who are you?" Malfoy sneered grabbing his injured arm carefully, glaring at the man. "Why did you stop him?"

"Why should I?" Asuma retorted calmly staring at the boy with coldness and contempt. "Actions come with consequences, kid. You should have realized that when you came in here parading around like you own the place, like your some royalty." Chuckling mockingly," judging by your reaction and attitude, your from a pretty old family aren't you kid?"

Malfoy glared. "I'm a pureblood! I should be treated with respect, not like some insignificant ingraft." All of this coming out of the boy's mouth with a very annoyed tone and filled with the same aristocrat attitude that many clan members, such as the Uchiha and Hyuuga family had displayed now and then, Asuma himself never really believed that clan members should be treated higher above that of a regular Shinobi. It took until a Jounin instructor or real life experienced to install the idea of these... privileged Shinobi that they were not all powerful nor did the world revolve around them. However, at the same time it didn't work, most of the time.

Prime example? Look at Hyuuga Hisashi, Hatake Kakashi (despite his father bring disgraced) and Uchiha Sasuke. "Blood isn't everything." Asuma stated calmly gazing at the boy. "There will come a time where you will come to understand that."

The blonde looked at him for several moments before sneering, and stomping his way out of the compartment like a little child. Shikamaru decided to release his Jutsu and watched carefully as the two gorilla-like kids quickened to stand up before following after their leader without hesitation and filled with fear. The lazy genius resisted the urge to sigh.

This was all just too troublesome for him. However.. his eyes narrowed into slits. That little brat... he didn't trust the civilian to not keep quiet about it. Hopefully the members of Team 12 would be able to handle it.

Yakumo wrinkled her nose, returning to her seat. "What a spoiled brat," her fingers playing with Malfoy's wand.

"How long do you think it will take him to realize that you still have it?" Yuushi asked wearing a grin over his face.

"A while." Harry commented with a small smile on his lips which grew when the blue haired teen snorted. "Sorry I didn't do anything..."

Naruto looked at him. "Hm? What's with the look?" Grinning widely," It was fun, besides I got to kick some ass!"

His hand still placed on his stomach, from the angle it looked like he was gripping it tighter then previous time.

"Calm down, you idiot." Shikamaru snapped at him dryly. His eyes flickered towards the boy's chest. "Oi... are you sure you're alright? You've been holding that spot for a long while now."

Naruto struggled not to wince openly. Had he been that transparent? "Y-yeah..." forcing the positive and bouncing energy to his face. He hated admitting weakness and this was the same, "Really! I am!"

"Do you mind if I took a look at it?" Harry offered gaining the blonde's and brunette's attention. "I known some medical jutsu and healing magic, maybe I could be of some assistance?"

"I'm FINE." Naruto stated his eyes narrowed just a bit in order to look intimating. To his surprise the raven haired boy simply raised an eyebrow as if challenging him. Crossing his arms and turning away with a pout he forced his attention towards the window gazing at the dark cold night.

Asuma sighed. God, why did he feel like a father on a sunday?

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed focusing on the blonde boy, a bit startled by the reaction he had gotten out of his teammate. Since when had Naruto ever acted like this before? Recalling the memories from their days in the Academy, rarely did anything truly sent the boy off with the exception of Uchiha (then again, he AWAYS pissed people off) and being scoffing at his proclaiming (rather loudly) at becoming the "Future Hokage!". But this... this was something entirely different. What exactly was Naruto trying to hide from them? Now that he had begun to think about it, the Nara thought to himself calmly. Ever since that night before their graduation, Naruto had mysteriously was given a headband and officially made a Shinobi of Konoha. There had been rumors that a traitor had tried to make their escape with something of high value. Other then that, no other information had been accessible.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that their was definitely a connection between those two events and Naruto's change in mood swings.

Suddenly, the temperature in the room began to drop. At an alarming rate while the sounds of the wheels began halt as the shrieking of the metal began to echo through their ears like bells on steroids. Naruto, whose hearing was stronger then that of a normal person gripping his head trying to block out the sounds that awakened a headache deep in his head while the area of where he was gripping began to tighten considerably. The clouds outside had darkened and became wild, the flickering light coming from them caught their attention.

Harry frowned. "Why are we stopping?" His body stiffed a bit at the strange abnormality of the Hogwarts Express. "It's never done this before."

"An enemy?" Yuushi quickly snarled, whipping out one of his concealed axes. His eyes became considerably cold and filled with a dark murderous fury within them.

Yakumo gulped, struggling to ignore the fear that had began to make it's self known in her stomach. Not even reaching their destination point and they were already in possible danger! She knew, of course that death and danger was apart of the being a Shinobi. It was something that had been drilled straight into her head and psyche ever since she had been born, nevertheless it still frightened her. Shakily raising her kunai the girl began to breath in and out helping calming down and gathering the resolve needed in order to fight if need be.

While Asuma was slouching on the seat he was far from being unprepared for the attack as his hands rested near his sides, playing with the handles of his daggers. The change of temperature from his experience was definitely not normal and from what the kid had told him this wasn't normal either. Glancing towards the door as the coldness started to become solid ice that wrapped around the metal and glass, whatever was make it's way towards them.

Everything could feel it, even the lights. Flickering and dangling off and on until the ice reached on top of them, effectively shutting them off.

It was like something out of a horror film.

"Be careful." The Jounin barked sharply, his face serious and stern. This wasn't a normal type of enemy something native to this place, thus an unknown. His eyes locked on towards the door as his daggers slipped straight into his hands, his chakra wrapping around the very edges.

"Cooool!" Naruto nearly exclaimed before Shino silenced him with a look. The smile that was plastered upon the boy's face instantly vanished. His eyes widened paralyzed in place as a cloaked figure pulled open the door. The scaly, grimy and certain inhumane hand... claw, revealed it's self to the group.

No words could be formed from anyone's lips as the grotesque figure slipped into the small compartment. Hissing came from the strange thing, no... abominations that hovered into the room looking as if it was looking for something. Or someone. None of them dared allow themselves to make a noise or sound as the cole atmosphere began to intense the longer the creature's presence remained indicating that it was the source of the frozen ice that had spread across the train like the wind.

Asuma struggled to keep himself from collapsing. What the hell was this thing? He couldn't even SENSE the damnable creature!  
And his head! Ohhh, his head! Cold whispers of those long forgotten and events that he had wished could remain forever at the back of his mind. He didn't want to remember! HE DIDN'T WANT TO REMEMBER!

He heard a thump hit the floor as his eyes snapped open, charging his chakra straight to the blade.

"WIND RELEASE: RAZOR GALE FALCON!"

* * *

It was cold... so very cold. Why was it so cold? The darkness consumed him utterly like it had before, during that time...

The strain on his eyes stung a bit, opening them. Once again, there was nothing more then a vivid darkness like before. The screaming he had heard from his subconscious still rang clearly in his ears before slowly vanishing, his hand gripped where his heart rested feeling the twist and painful ache that emitted from there. It felt familiar to him somewhere carved gently into is memory, something he knew that had remained apart of him for years; but was unable to place the sound to a face or a name.

He place its self reminded him oddly of a tunnel, while it was dark and damp the place felt wide and rather spacious.

Pushing his legs forward, he began to walk. Where was he walking? Anywhere, he had to try and find the others; and soon. Wrapping his arms around his body trying to contain his body heat will stalking down the long dark path, the ground felt hard and hollowed as if it didn't exist. Snorting to himself at the idiotic thought glancing at the pitch blackness.

What was this anyway? Some kind of fog or something?

"Close." A male voice purred with amusement. "Not entirely wrong, nor is it right. It was a rather good guess, child."

The boy felt his body freeze. "Whose there?"

"Hm?" The voice question curiously as a pair of eyes made themselves visible. Two strange colored eyes that were clear as day. The gleam of curiosity and amusement was dancing handsomely in the darkness. "Did you not receive my message child? You know, creating those trees are rather hard to go." A necklace of beads echoed through the darkness much like ripples in an ocean keeping with the beat of a tune while the man in question stared at him. The faint lines his clothing could also be seen, only just though.

"Wait, what?" He remembered, that three with those giant dials! "What was the message then?"

"Wasn't it obvious?" The man was definitely amused, if the humorous smile now appeared in the night. "It warn you of my arrival."

"Your arrival?" That REALLY wasn't helping at all. "I don't understand," Admitting softly while staring at the figure, or lack there of. "Why are you appearing before me and who are you anyway?"

The man smiled, mysteriously. "You already know who I am. Now then, wake up."

"What?"

"Wake up."

His body instantly snapped up, sweat drench all over as his clothes sticked to his skin. Blushing embarrassment at having such a stupid and childish reaction to such a dream, it made him feel vulnerable and weak. Looking down at the white blanket he realized that once again he was in the Infirmary of Hogwarts, sighing irritably. And, once more he was sitting in the left side bed at the end of the room. Really, it was like the bed was reserved for him!

Scoffing to the side, landing upon white clothing that laid upon the floor with red flames painted upon the cloth a quarter way near the end as the emerald pools began to widen as the blonde spiky hair caught his attention while tilting his head to get a glimpse of the handsome man's well developed face and concentrated blue eyes as he, the man, sat there staring worryingly at the patient.

"Y-Yondaime-sama?"

* * *

- Chapter Four-End.

**End Note:** Yea, I brought the Yondaime back! Of course, can anyone say SUBPLOT? Anyway, on a completely different note I have decided to look for a SECOND beta; if interested just say so in your review and I shall get back to you. Also no Golden Trio Interaction, no worries there will be on during the next chapter - so look forward to it! Plus, you'll find out how Harry acquired Medical Jutsu as well!

kirallie: Thanks! The bonds between Harry and his teachers will be more developed and shown as the series goes on. As for who Harry reminds Sarutobi of... well, you'll just have to see.

_RedValentino: _Thanks! Well, It depends on how you view the word 'Genius'. An example being, Naruto is a Genius at creativity while Rock Lee is Genius of Hard Work; I view Harry being a Genius of Motivation, which is why he's able to get down the Jutsu and training so quickly, it's his motivation that's pushing him towards reaching and understanding them. Thanks, I LOVE Utakata along with all the other Jinchuuriki that were never shown, as for the timeline... several months before the Chuunin Exam that's all I can say. And Water and Lightning are NOT Harry's Chakra natures or affinities, he simply knows a water Jutsu and a lightning jutsu.

**Kazukimi**: Thanks, and I totally agree. ANYONE would be a better teacher then Kakashi, ANYONE. Well my thought is, Harry's mind went like this: "If Chakra can do this and I can do with with Chakra, I'll try do THIS" which is how he was able to gain Super Strength.

curve-goddess: Thanks, as for the pairings they are still up for debate. Kimimaro... well, let's just say I have plans for him and leave at that.

mishap: Have I told you how much I love your reviews? Please do it more often! Honestly, I don't really understand why Chakra should be better or stronger then magic since really, they are the same thing just utuilized and evolved differently. Poppy getting her hands on Hayate *muses* hmmm... ANYWAY, I'm glad that you enjoyed that little image *grins* Thanks, and I sincerely hope that you keep on reviewing.

_Dark Neko 4000_: Perhaps, you'll simply have to continue reading.

**Rhyssia**: I am very aware of how... lack of my grammar and how I need to improve it. I am assure you, I am doing the best I can. Grammar is not forte unfortunately, however I am willing to have another beta, are you interested?

xXxOtAKU-444xXx: Thanks.

frannienzbabe: I'm trying not to bashing characters to be honest, with the minor exception of the rest of Team 7. If you read the third chapter, there is a list of possible love interests for him that I am currently considering.

**Ireadtomuch**: I think Utakata would be an interesting lover for Harry, and thank you for casting your vote. I DO have a beta, if you read the last note of the previous chapter, however I am currently looking for a second. As for the description, ask and you shall receive.

_Mazentius_: I think Harry would be great Shinobi in any area, it really depends on the writing of how he develops and the circumstances that influence his decision. Also, Ancient Runes is FAR better then Divination by far! I do like Itachi, that's no life, however I'm still considering. I'm not leaping ahead with love just yet. Also ShikaNaru FTW! It's my favourite pairing next to PeinNaru and ItaNaru. Thanks for review!

917brat: Unfortunately, no. It isn't a poll, it's potential people I may pair Naruto and Harry with. I'm still considering things. As for the the Venom and Phoenix mixture in his veins, hmmm... you've give me something to think about it.

Arfa: Thanks! I'm glad that you enjoy!

Male Tsunade: 12

Clone! Minato: zero.

Other details-

Medic-Nin with Ninjutsu and Genjutsu: 1

Tsunade Route with Seals: 3

Tsunade Route with Runes and seals: 5

Tsunade Route with Mediwizard and Ninjutsu: 1

Genjutsu Master: 1 Remember to leave a constructive Criticism!


	5. Flashbacks

Chapter Five: Flashbacks

The blonde man turned his attention towards the boy's general direction, wearing a surprised look before masking it with a gentle and bemused look stretching ear to ear. The tension within the air began to vanish as Harry continued to look upon him in shock.

"Oh. So your awake?" The tone was colored and filled with amusement and teasing as his blue orbs danced with mirth. "I was wondering when you'd be stirring, I'm glad to see that you're alright." Looking away from and focusing his his concentration on Naruto. "Unfortunately, the circumstances that have occurred has rendered him unconscious. I am at a loss of what to do, the after effects causing the coma is foreign to me."

Harry continued to stare. "F-foreign, sir?"

"Sorry!" The Yondaime grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "You probably have no idea what is happening to him either." The smile quickly vanished just as it had appeared only his eyes made any movement checking the room cautiously. "That woman... Madum? No Madeeum? No, that's not quite right." Frowning rather handsomely the man's tongue bean to sound out the word slowly, as Harry looked at him with empathy fully understanding what the Yondaime was going through. Learning foreign language was difficult, let alone speaking it. "That medic-nin, where did she go?"

"Madam Pomfrey," Harry said with a smile. "Either went to go and get some more potions or went to the Headmaster's office and give him our status of our condition." It was rather strange of Madam Pomfrey to leave while she had patients laying in her Infirmary. Then again, it was the beginning of the year so was plausible for her not to be expecting injuries (Or him) so early. Suddenly he had started to feel rather guilty while glancing towards the side with a nervous smile on his face. He could already her the woman's lecturing tone. "... I hope the others are alright."

"They are fine." The Yondaime answered catching his attention, Harry's head snapped towards him while the man gave him a soft fatherly smile. "They are currently in the Headmaster's office trying to figure out what exactly happened for these events to have transpired." His lips pressed thinly together as an unreadable look glazed over the man's face. "Nonetheless what is done, is done."

... Why did he feel like he was suddenly be scowled by a parent?

"...Yondaime-sama-"

"Minato."

"Huh?"

"My name." The Hokage answered calmly giving Harry a soft look. "My name is Namikaze Minato. It's a pleasure to meet you, Harry-kun." The man smiled while waving at him rather cheerfully watching as the boy stared at him stunned for several seconds before giving his head a rough shake.

"H-how did you-?"

"Your friends told me." Minato answered whimsically, as his hand waved rather dismissively. "After those things in black," His voice held venom and coldness on levels of which Harry had never heard before. "Before retreating back to the castle, and well," Gesturing to himself. "Here we are."

Harry frowned. It felt like the man had omitted some parts to that or merely was dodging it. "How do I know you're telling the truth, Minato-san?" His words controlled while his eyes remained on him stoically. "As far as anyone knows, your buried six feet under."

Minato smirked. "So suspicious, a good trait to have in our line of work." Nodding approvingly, as Harry felt the orbs pierce straight into his soul. "Judging by your body, you'd be an illusionist or are you something more? The chakra I feel from you feels differently, nothing malicious I assure you." Catching the panic look upon the boy's face. "But the flow of your Chakra is different, is it because your a wizard?"

"... Should I be concerned?" _'And how do you know that?'_ Harry thought to himself uncertainty the way Minato had talk made his skin crawl, as if the man was giving him a warning of sorts. The idea of his Chakra being different or effected by the use of his own magic never really occurred to him at all, nor the fact the possibility of it hindering the grow of his chakra. A mental note to talk with Iruka-sensei later on about it.

Minato looked thoughtful. "I don't believe it should cause any problems to you."

"That's good." Harry sighed with relief. "Have you had experience with... wizards before?"

The blonde man nodded. "When I was a Jounin, but before having a Genin team, I meet a one. A young girl, she ended up saving my life." Smiling nostalgically as his eyes glazed over fondly. "She was quite the fire cracker, if I recall. Powerful, stubborn and had one hell of a right hook for a civilian." Musing rather fondly at the memory, Minato seemed to be rather content with memory. "She was quite a woman, that Lily Potter."

Harry gapped.

* * *

To say that Iruka was amused would be a down right lie. In fact, the only good thing about the entire mission had been meeting and training Harry, other then that everything else seemed to annoy or push the usually calm Shinobi straight to the breaking point. Everything that Iruka could have possibly happened had derailed and out of control something that the Chuunin had no other option then to improvise and deal with damage control, and fast. His eyes glanced towards Raidou, whom looked like he was ready to break at any moment. The usually stoic and proper man's eyes were conflicted with several emotions that Iruka had placed into categories within his mind, as his heart went out straight towards the man.

The Chuunin had absolutely no idea what the man was going through.

"Report." Genma's lips clicked staring at the conscious Genin, Asuma was being treated by Anko-with absolute pleasure and glee at the frightened and bewildered man's face. The lazy-like Jounin was torn between being tired and annoyed glancing worriedly at his lover while still retaining as professional role in front of the lower ranking Shinobi. Hayate was at the door keeping an eye on it incase of an emergency as well as using his Chakra to keep track of Harry, Naruto and... the man. It wasn't something that Genma wanted to deal or even think about as he stared emotionlessly at them. "Now."

Yakumo, seemed to be the only one with a backbone at the moment. "Well..." struggling to get her words together. "It happened like this Shiranui-san..."

_Shikamaru was bent over checking on the unconscious and injured Asuma, that was laying on the ground. "No vital points have been cut, only a few scratches here and there." Murmuring under his breathing casting an annoyed look at the shattered door, glass spreading around the floor with some jabbed into his teacher's body. "Troublesome, you shouldn't have done that Sensei. We're doing to attract attention now." _

_"... How is he?" Shino responded while tearing his eyes away from Naruto and Harry, whom were both laid upon the seats still unconscious. _

_The Nara groaned standing up. "Seems to be be alright, should make a full recovery once he wakes up. Arugh, how troublesome, causing all of this ruckus." Letting out a small sigh, Shikamaru shook his head. "Yakumo, do you mind?" Gesturing towards the door._

_"Oh!" The red haired girl pipped up, blushing before quickly making some hand seals and murmuring something under her breath. The feel of her chakra began to spread across the compartment creating an illusion making the scene vanish with a blink of an eye, replacing with a calm pleasant seen by those looking into the room. Letting out a breath, she whipped her forehead using her elbow grinning slightly. "Is that good, Nara-san?"_

_"Ah. That's good," Shikamaru replied with a sharp nod. _

_Shino pushed his glasses up. "What a predicament." _

_"It can't be helped," Yuushi retorted his arms folded upon his chest turning his gaze towards the younger Genin. "What we needed to do, and is get these two some medical attention, and quick. Sarutobi-sensei looks like he'll be fine, he just needs some simply bandaging up." Glancing at the girl. "Yakumo?"_

_The girl nodded, grabbing her small pouch and opening it revealing some. "I also have disinfection as well for the wounds." Walking over towards the man as Shikamaru stepped aside as the girl went to work as the three boys looked at each other and sighed. _

_"Need to figure out a plan in order to avoid looking and causing any suspicion towards us or anyone else." Shino spoke up calmly. "Avoiding a panic and hysteria would be a necessary priority if we are to succeed in our mission to get to this Hogwarts place and hand the scroll to Iruka-sensei." _

_"Problem kiddies?" _

_Two young boys stood at the door, wearing chester like grins on their faces while observing them closely. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes looking at the sudden intrusion, trying to recall exactly where he had seen these two before only for his mind to come up blankly. The boy on the left was grinning widely with his eyes closed, bandages on his chin and each side of his cheeks, his body covered with one of those stupid wizard cloaks he had seen being wore by the students of the school. A rather stupid formality, and dangerous to wear. It was like they were asking to be killed. However, Shino had also been able to see the large anchors on the boy's back that was hidden by the clock as the other boy with the brunette hair had knives hidden within his sleeves, smiling rather pleasantly._

_"Kiddies?" Naruto repeated angrily pointing at them. "If anyone should be called a kid, it should be you two!"_

_The blonde's protest was utterly ignored as the brunette took a step forward provoking Yuushi to grip the tip of his axe. His eyes trained upon the small boy. "You know," The brunette began lazily waving his hand around. "The trees sure are small this year, the dolphin told me."_

_"The dolphin?" Shikamaru repeated absolutely confused. "What are you-"_

_"IRUKA-SENSEI!" Naruto cut him off with a giant whoop in the air, grinning ear to ear. _

_Yakumo was a bit taken back by the outburst. "N-Naruto!"_

_"How do you know it's Iruka-sensei, Naruto?" Yuushi asked, still uncertain to trust these two anomalies. _

_The hyperactive Shinobi grinned. "Because, Iruka-sensei's name means Dolphin! And 'the trees are sure small this year' are what he always says when he sees new ones." Nodding with pride, happy at the fact he was able to connect things together while being oblivious to the slack-jawed stares he was receiving from his team mates. "So where is Iruka-sensei anyway?"_

_"He's up at Hogwarts." The spiky haired boy answered, pointing towards that general direction. "He's with the others. Izumo and I were given the task of posing as students, just in case." Quickly doing a hand sign, the two boy were surrounded by smoke and replaced by two tall men, looking older then their younger counterparts with noticeable differences. "Hagane Kotetsu, nice to meet you."_

_"Kamizuki Izumo," The other man introduced wearing a grin before it instantly vanished while gazing at the unconscious two, pressing his lips together only to glance stoically at the group of Genin. "What happened?"_

_"Those black things..." Yakumo wrapped her arms around her body, shuddering. "Came in here...and..." her voice trailed off as the girl shut her eyes, struggling to explain what had exactly happened to them. The cold was the only thing that was she had been able to recall and the feeling of fright, and the inability to keep herself happy. It felt like a black hole, trying to suck her in and consume fully. _

_Izumo looked at his partner. "We shouldn't be too far off from Hogwarts, now are we?"_

_"We should be closing in." The other man confirmed with a stiff nod. Quickly making a hand sign, he once again turned into his genin self only to be followed by Izumo. Sharply turning around the boy glanced outside of the compartment carefully opening the door, to make certain that no one was there. "Alright, I'll go and talk with the nurse on the train. You guys stay here, alright?" Giving a wave, Kotetsu ran off leaving them to look after the two unconscious comrades._

_Shikamaru let out an insufferable, "Troublesome." _

_"Excuse me?" A rather familiar and slightly irritating female voice spoke up, the tone was concerned but held a bit of a bossiness in it. Izumo had tried to keep the girl out only for her to push past him, the girl was the one from the platform and had the red haired boy, another round and timid looking boy behind her. There was also another man, looking tired and absolutely exhausted as if he had just gotta into a fight only to lose horrible, judging by the rags that man called clothes it looked like he had been through a lot. His amber eyes glancing around them, observing every single detail. The man's eyes resembled that of the Inuzuka clan, Shikamaru had noted instantly. It was sharp and feral like, but like the overall intimidation and canine like instinct. _

_It made Shikamaru wondered who this guy was, and why his eyes were like that. _

_"HARRY!" The bushy haired girl quickly rushed past them, pushing straight through Shino and a bewildered Yuushi. The girl held the boy up carefully trying not to open any injuries, placing her ear against the boy's chest, letting out a sigh of relief before turning her attention upon them. "Who are you and what did you do to him!"_

_"Us?" Naruto snapped back, angrily. "We didn't do anything to him!"_

_The timid boy looked down. "D-don't jump to conclusions Hermione, we don't know anything or what happened. It could have been the Dementors!"_

_"Dementors?" Shikamaru repeated slowly, not use to the word. A strange feeling in his stomach acknowledge what the boy was referring to, sincerely hoping that the kid was wrong. _

_The Weasley, Shikamaru had at least remembered the boy's clan name looked at him funny. "Ya, those black cloaked things. They guard the prison Azkaban, dunno what they're doing here on the train. I guess they reckoned that Sirius Black was on the train, haven't the foggiest why."_

_"Good to know," Shino responded flatly._

_Yuushi rolled his eyes. "Why are you four even in here anyway?"_

_"Professor Lupin is checking every compartment, apparently the Dementors have been stalking every single one." Hermione elaborated, while flipping her hair. "He's checking to make sure that the students that were effected the most to be brought to the Infirmary upon arrival at Hogwarts. So far, it seems only Harry and umm..." Looking at Asuma. "Him, have been the only ones heavily effected by the Dementors." Getting up off of her feet, the girl patted her skirt turning towards the Professor. "Should I send Pig to Hogwarts sir in advanced?" _

_The man smiled, tiredly. "That would be most beneficial, Ms. Granger." The girl nodded, grabbing the two boys and pulling them out of the compartment. "Now then, how are the rest of your fairing?"_

_"I'm fine!" Naruto chirped happily, sending a punch straight into the air while grinning widely._

_Yakumo shrugged. "I'm alright, thank you for asking." Bowing politely at the man._

_"Here." Was Yuushi's distant reply, crossing his arms and glaring at the wall. _

_Shikamaru shrugged. "Troublesome." _

_"I am fine." Was the bug-clan user's stoic and forced reply, slightly irritated that his personal bubble had been invaded by an unknown. He was uncertain whether or not that this man was a threat or simply and truly concerned for them, Shino had yet to adjust to the strange new world, or it's ways. _

_"Here. Eat." The man, only known as Professor, held out some chocolate._

_"Chocolate?" Shikamaru asked skeptically._

_Naruto grinned. "Thanks! Itadakimasu!" _

_"Chocolate has healing properties in order to combat the effects of Dementors," The man elaborated while spreading around the chocolate to the reluctant and distrustful pre-teens, with the exception of Naruto. Each of them eyed the eatable sustain watching as the blonde beamed happily after consuming said food, whether or not there had been no reaction to it there was still not enough reason for them to eat it. "Hermione should be back soon."_

_"Thank god," Yuushi murmured dryly, looking at the window. _

_Naruto grinned. "Well that's good," Grinning at the back of his head while still gripping his stomach rather tightly, the pain had originally started out small but now was begin to pulse stronger and stronger with each passing second. The others had already noticed, much to his dismay. "I'm fine, really!" Forcing a smile upon his lips._

_"The main is coming from your stomach, right?" The professor asked without receiving a response, already making his way over towards the blonde. Kneeling down, "Here let me take a look-"_

_"NO!" Naruto's hand instantly slapped the man's way in anger-like fright, backing away from him with a strange look in his eye._

_"N-Naruto!" Shikamaru was able to get out, still stunned by the blonde's sudden action. This DEFINITELY wasn't the Naruto he had grown up with over the years, just what exactly happened during his time between the exam and graduation anyway?_

_Yuushi, on the other hand looked at the younger boy with sympathy. 'Battle wounds?' _

_"Naruto, you shouldn't have done that." Yakumo scolded the boy, with a frown glaring at the boy. Shaking her head with displeasure, the young Genjutsu user looked at the man with a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry for Naruto's behavior, sir. He usually doesn't act like this, so please don't take this as offensive."_

_Izumo, on the other hand left out a sigh of relief. 'Oh thank god!' _

_Unfortunately, his reaction did not go unnoticed by Shikamaru or Shino, both whom exchanged a long look. _

_It wasn't until much later did Hermione, and later on Kotetsu returned to the compartment. If that wasn't enough, a growing tension between the two groups had started to form faster then Jiraiya-sama could run away after getting caught on his 'researching' expeditions. The other two; Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom had tried to start up a conversation with Naruto and Yuushi, only for an argument to break out between the blonde and redhead much to Yuushi's annoyance and Neville's embarrassment while Yakumo only had solace of seeking some female companionship with Hermione. The two of them share one common thing: Being the only female within a large group of males._

_It was a wonder how they managed to survive for so long. _

_Asuma and Harry had been moved over on to the seats, laying them carefully face up waiting for someone to come and check on them. Unfortunately, Kotetsu had been unable to locate the nurse or any type of medical knowledge or experience. _

_Just what type of school where they running! Not having medical user on the train was just ASKING for the train to be attacked! They would definitely be passing this information straight to Iruka and later forward it to the Hokage, this was simply unacceptable. Plus, it made their job seem so... so... _

_Demanding._

_What type of parent would send their children to such a sub-par school?_

_"Looks like were here," The professor remarked standing him, sending look towards the group while smiling rather tiredly. "Do you mind helping me? I'm not as strong as I'm used to be." As he went over and flipped Asuma over his back, carefully adjusting the man to suit his seize. _

_Hermione quickly leaped to her feet as she went to aid Harry, only for Yuushi to pick him up with easy. The girl sent the teen a surprise look, in which the Shinobi ignored or simply didn't even notice as he calmly followed the older man's example while quietly and diligently following the professor out of the compartment, only to be greeted by Hagrid whom had seen the state that boy and Asuma had fallen under only to give them critical instructions to head straight to the carriages and head to directly to the Infirmary-much to the amusement to Izumo and Kotetsu and to the confusion, to the side of Hermione's and Ron's snorting. _

_"Argh!" Naruto grunted out, still gripping his stomach. Setting themselves straight onto the carriages, spitting into groups: Izumo was settled into their carriage along with Shikamaru, Shino, Yakumo, Neville and Hermione. Ron, had the unfortunately been placed with Kotetsu, Yuushi Asuma, Harry and the Professor, keeping an eye on the unconscious males while having Kotetsu helping him move the two of them upon arrival. The frightened and distrustful glances shared between the two wand-users hadn't been lost on either Shinobi present, nonetheless figuring out the cause of what happened and remedying the problem not to mention dealing with these so-called wizards. Shikamaru had left out a sigh of relief, not one of them had noticed the trashed room or had even commented on it. Yakumo's Genjutsu skills were proficient._

_Then again..._

_Onyx orbs glanced at the wizards. 'Or maybe they simply didn't comment on it'. Either way, this entire thing was far too troublesome. _

_"N-Naruto!" A gasp came from Yakumo's lips as the blonde boy fell straight to his knees wrapping his arms around his stomach, the red haired girl kneeled beside him holding on to him as the rest of the group ended up looking on in confusion and bewilderment. _

_"Oi! What seems to be the problem over there?" The Professor's voice echoed through the wind only to be utterly ignored by the frantic members of the other carriage. The distance between the two was quite a gap and was unable to see that far away. _

_"N-Naruto..." Shikamaru bite on his lip, struggling to figure out what was wrong with his team mate only to watch as the hyperactive ninja continued to groan in unmatched pain. The symptoms that boy was going through was utterly lost on him and had absolutely no idea of what to do or how to act in this situation. _

_"HIs Chakra is acting weird." Shino spoke up calmly, slightly unnerved judging from the stance of his eyebrows and ruffled jacket. His tone low enough so that only Shikamaru could hear. "My Kikai are frightened by the measure of chakra coming off of him, they said that it feels familiar to them."_

_"Family?" Shikamaru repeated confused._

_Yakumo wasn't even paying any attention since she had been fussing over the blonde. "I... I can't sense pin point anything! It's all over the place?"_

_"What's all over the place and what's going on?" Hermione asked disturbed and confused, regarding the girl with a strange look in her eye moving over on Naruto's other side. "What exactly are you talking about? Maybe Neville and I can help." _

_Shikamaru resisted the urge to groan. "You can't, so don't bother." This was one of the reasons why he didn't like interacting with civilians, they think that they could help when they couldn't. Overall, civilians should simply stay out of a Shinobi's way and remain silent. A rather cynical and rather bias view, he would definitely admit however it was necessary. Gritting his teeth while toning out the screaming tones of the banshee woman, he focused his attention on the struggling blonde as he felt the bile in his stomach beginning to make it's way straight to the surface. Blood began to escape from Naruto's eyes and mouth, slipping straight down to the floor as the blonde's screams had slowly began to cease but the whimpering remained. _

_"SHIKAMRU!" Yakumo screamed._

_Shikamaru snapped at her. "I KNOW ALRIGHT! I FUCKING KNOW. JUST CALM DOWN!" THe girl was taken back by the foul language he had used as the Nara tried to grip with the situation at hand, ignoring the fact that Izumo was watching with an emotionless look on his face and a kunai being twirled within his hand. 'Damn it... what... what do I do?' _

_"S...Shika..." Naruto's painful cry was enough for the Nara to snap back to reality, watching as the bright blue orbs were beginning to dull with each passing second. A smile slowly began to spread across his face, albite, a small yet sorrowful one that spoke with no regrets. "I..." _

_"Naruto?" Shikamaru felt his blood ran cold, as the carriages had stopped abruptly upon the gates of Hogwarts as the moon hanged above them in the dark night sky. The blood that laid on the floor of the carriage remained shining brightly underneath the rays of the moon, as the students managed to make their way up to the school paying no attention to the group or the bleeding boy that seemed to have been rendered unconscious. At least that's all Shikamaru had been hoping unable to tear his eyes away from the suddenly still and quite blonde. _

_"We need to get him to the infirmary." Yakumo decided sharply ignoring the looks she was getting. "YUUSHI! KOTETSU!"_

_The weapon master, raised an eyebrow while carrying Harry and moved over to them. His eyes widened at the sudden state the blonde was in. "What the hell happened here!" _

_"We don't know!" Yakumo replied utterly focusing her attention on the blonde, still frowning. _

_"My WORD!" A woman with a thick accent boomed, turning around they saw an old looking woman with a strict face stare at them with horror before snapping back into a professional state and quickly maneuvered past them. "Out of my way, let me take a look at him!" She quickly pushed Yakumo out of the way. Kneeling down her eyes shifted quickly immediately taking in all the injures that were visible before snapping her head back towards the door. "Pomfrey!" _

_Another woman appeared closely behind. "Another one?" The maid looking woman pressed her lips together before whirling her attention towards the professor. "Don't be standing there!" Her voice chipped looking at him as if the man had grown another head. "Get them to the infirmary." The man blinked in surprised. "NOW!"_

_"Oh...oh! Right-o." The professor quickly snapped back into reality before taking Asuma straight inside of the building with no haste._

_The woman turned at Yuushi. "What are you waiting for? Go!" _

_"Yes Ma'am!" Not wanting to piss off the woman, the teenager quickly obeyed and went inside carrying Harry._

_"What happened?" The woman in the maid outfit asked sharply._

_Shikamaru blinked. "Umm... err..."_

_"Speak up, child. We haven't got all night, now." The woman was clearly in her elemental. _

_"He started bleeding Madam Pomfrey." Hermione instantly answered the woman as Shikamaru sent her a death glare, which she had righteously ignored. "There was no warning of it, at all!" Fear and worry were evident in her voice as she glanced at the boy. "What do we do?"_

_"Leave to me, Miss Granger." Madam Pomfrey answered as the Scottish woman had taken a back seat. "Minerva?"_

_The other woman, nodded. "Of course." Nodding curtly turning her attention towards the others. "Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Longbottom please head to the Great Hall I shall deal with you just a moment."_

_"But-" Ron had began to protest._

_"Now." The woman's word was cool as ice. _

_Hermione complied utterly while dragging the other boys in tow, Neville had shot Shikamaru and the others a tiny smile before disappearing into the darkness of the hall. _

_"I take it your back up Shinobi from Konoha." It wasn't a question, rather a statement. Waving her hand like a gesture. "Follow me now, I'll take you straight to Headmaster Dumbledore's office. I believe your teacher, Umino-sensei has been waiting for your arrival."_

_"Thanks." Shikamaru nodded curtly back at her. Absolutely wanting to get inside and find out what the hell was exactly going on and rectify it. It was far too troublesome to deal with it all now, ignoring the guilty that had been building up inside of him. "I'll carry Naruto-"_

_The moment he had stepped past the first stone of the hall, a burst of chakra had emitted from the blonde surrounding them in a sinister and resonate light. It as different from any other type of Chakra he had ever felt or been taught, it was like a ball filled with natural Chakra stemmed from nature it's self, it was so strong that the threads and lines of it were visible to the naked eye forming into something. The light was enough to blind one-if not all of the, hadn't they not be careful enough. The threads and line of the chakra began to overlap one another forming into that of a body while the light wrapped around said body while it began to die, leaving nothing but a tall man with spiky blonde hair with a long white coat with flame style on it._

_The man's face was hidden with in the darkness, holding Naruto close to his chest. _

_"Naruto... you've grown." The man's gentle voice echoed through the wind, eyeing the boy softly._

_It was Yakumo, whom had spoke first. "Y-Yondaime,...sama?"_

_"H-How do you know Naruto's name?" Kotetsu was able to stutter out as Izumo stated wide eyed at the figure._

_The man, identified as the Yondaime turned and smiled at them. "What kind of father would I be, if I didn't know my son's own name?"_

"...And that's what happened Iruka-sensei."

Iruka placed his hand over his face. "Well that's just perfect."

* * *

"Can we leave?" Harry asked.

Pomfrey looked at him. "No."

"How about now?"

"No."

"Okay... now?"

"No, Mr. Potter."

"When can I leave?"

"When I say you can, Mr. Potter."

"Oh, so now then?"

"No."

"Are you sure I can't leave?"

"Very sure."

Harry pouted while Pomfrey smiled, as Minato watched the scenario utterly amused. The two got along quite well, similar to him and Jirayia-sensei actually.

"Speaking of leaving, Mr. Potter." Pomfrey began as she went over to her desk, pulling out several books. "Normally, I would have waited until you were old enough to take my class-however, it seems to me that you will need it when the time comes." Placing the books by Harry's side. "Then again, it doesn't surprise me given what you've been through this summer."

Unreadable look appeared over Harry's face. "You're not going to stop me?"

"No. That is not something for me to decide," Madam Pomfrey replied curly looking somewhat offended. "You've chosen your path, Harry and I must say that it's about damn time you did something." Sitting down beside him, "Words can not describe how proud I am of you to have taken the path of a Shinobi-and that of a medical career. Granted, I am not at all thrilled with the fact you will be plunged into danger," Giving Harry a disapproving look. "But, this is your decision I have no right to question or judge you." Smiling softly, placing her hand upon his shoulder. "But I have a feeling this... this is exactly what suits you Harry. That's why I let you into my Healing course."

"Despite the fact I'm a third year?"

Pomfrey nodded. "Despite that, besides." Waving her hand, "I noticed that you dropped some courses."

"Ehe... you saw that?" Harry rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, while Minato continued to watching them.

The healer eyed him. "Let's just say... I was able to persuade Dumbledore into telling me." the strange smile upon her lips was enough to petrify anyone, as Harry exchanged a long look with Minato, whom shook his head. It was best not to ask or dive deeper. "Speaking of which... I think someone wants to talk to you."

"What do you mean?" Harry began curiously, as he turned his head.

Ron and Hermione stood there, looking at him. Oh...

This wasn't going to be pleasant.

* * *

Chapter five-end.

Short chapter is short. First off, I apologize for my lack of updating if you've read my RoJ:R you know the reason why; if not then I shall tell you: My mother was recently admitted into the hospital and has once back, yet again. I wanted to get this chapter out so that all of you understand that, also the fact that I will update WHEN I am able to. So please be patient and don't badger me for updates, thanks!

RedValentino: From my general understanding of Chakra, is that anyone can really use a certain element of Chakra however some Elemental Affinities are more often then not their trademark fighting ability and the fact that having an elemental chakra means being able to work with it easier then the other elemental chakras and actually create new Jutsu's through it. Also, I really hope that Kishimoto does do a one-shot with all the Jinchuuriki, that would be really nice to see and get a viewing on their personalities and pasts.

**yeah9fun**: Oh! I'm sorry I didn't mean for that to happen, hope you're alright! -huggles- Err... about the previous chapter, let's just say there was miscommunication between my beta and I... and... yeah. No worries though, we're communicating now.

Ireadtomuch: Hmmm... maybe :D but you have given me a great idea! Thanks XD. And I'm glad that you approve of Harry's over all description.

_DarkNeko 4000:_ You'll have to read to find out.

xXxOtAkU-444xXx: Thanks! Glad that you like it.

**Kittenishone**: Naruto's and Harry's interaction and relationship, is definitely going to be rather interesting. Oh and thanks! I'll get back to you when I get the chance!

KekouanTheWhiteWolf: Oh, thanks! Honestly, for Harry I think he would either make a great Male! Yoruichi, Male! Tsunade or Another Mukuro (KHR) in terms of his abilities. It really depends upon how the author writes and builds up the character, I also despite the fact that wizard = weak, physically or otherwise. That seems to be a growing theme within HP xovers which I quite disagree with and find really irritating to read. That and uke = girl. Seriously, who the hell came up with that? Anyway regarding Kiba... err... yeah, I can't really say, but you WILL like for what I have in store. I promise that. Ron and Hermione, oy... that's going to be interesting to write...

_dude45:_ Yes, yes they are. I am heavily disappointed with the lack of minor-character love.

ArrancarMadien: Thanks! I hope you'll stick around for more!

**917brat:** Oh, it won't be just those... oh no, I plan on going deeper! Well Remus has appeared in this chapter, just not named which will be explained later on. Dumbledore, well, it depends on your view and thoughts on him which will be divulge deeper as the story goes on.

Mazentius: Err... sorry, and I really hope that you don't mind for this chapter since it IS unbeta, though for obvious reasons why if you read the note. As for the second beta position, i WILL get back to you on that all I ask is just please be patient. Thanks!

_Moonlight-girl19:_ I LOVE Iruka, he is my favorite character in Naruto. No joke. That and the fact, I really don't like Kakashi all that much despite him in Shippuuden, behind the scenes I think Iruka did a lot more then what was implied in the manga since Naruto still seems to trust and look to him for advice. And I'll try not to discontinue this, though I do have other fics I have to work on XD.

autumnannette19: You'll see XD.

**Exodiano**: Thanks you! -blushes- I'm glad you approved. I'm doing everything in my power to avoid making Yuushi a Gary-Sue or over powerful, so if it seems that may please inform me so I can rectify it! And also avoid OCCness as well would be nice... Thanks!

Alec McDowell: I find myself face palming and groaning whenever I see another 'Ninjas go and protect to Hogwarts...' it's the same old, same old. Plus it's canon pairings or the HPverse is looked down upon, I just... it frustrates me no matter how good the writing is. It turns me off the fic completely. Harry is something whom I percieve as hating to be weak but wanting to help others off the field of combat, so I chose a medical-nin. Also, only Yuushi is an OC. Yakumo is actually a filler character from the Naruto Filler Saga's, a Kunoichi heiress... and that's all I'm going to say so I won't spoil it. I actually prefer Naruto and Harry a friends, rather then lovers. I don't really know why though, but I think it's more beneficial for both of them to remain friends. Kiba... hehehe... I have plans for him, so look forward to it!

_Arfa: _Thanks!

Poll:

Male Tsunade: 14

Clone! Minato: zero.

Other details-

Medic-Nin with Ninjutsu and Genjutsu: 1

Tsunade Route with Seals: 3

Tsunade Route with Runes and seals: 5

Tsunade Route with Mediwizard and Ninjutsu: 1

Genjutsu Master: 1 Remember to leave a constructive Criticism!

Possible pairing: Asuma x Remus, Yes or No?

If you have any suggestions for ideas, please send them but explain WHY in detail it would work. Don't just put "They'd be hot together" I want serious reasons of why the relationship would work out. Preferably slash pairings.

Decided pairings: See chapter 1.

Other crossover idea:

30 Minutes: Location? Japan. School? Ouran. Objective? Assassination. It was a normal life in the day of Harry Potter. Ouran/HP/CATHERINE crossover, slash. Mori/Harry

Remember, please leave constructive criticism!


	6. Changes

Chapter Six: Changes

This was something that Harry had desperately wanted to avoid until he was ready to talk to them about what had happened over the summer, and just how much he had changed. He sincerely doubted that his friends would understand his reasons for joining the Shinobi ranks, or the fact he had dropped several of his courses, not that he really needed them. Iruka-sensei, upon meeting the rest of the faculty, had suggested that he'd dropped 'History of Magic' and 'Potions' since he truly wasn't learning anything important. From the way that Iruka had suggested he dropped Potions, he assumed it was because of the man's or rather, the Shinobi's overall disliking of Snape and his treatment of his students and Harry in general, nonetheless it was a core subject and wouldn't be allowed to leave unless he had another teacher for that particular subject.

Thus, it had left Harry with no other option other than to outsource his options and hire a tutor to meet with him at Hogsmeade. History of Magic was a bore and truly served no purpose in the British Wizarding World, only being on the level of a joke.

At the moment, this wasn't the time to dwell upon such things. Harry stood silently looking at his two friends with an unreadable look on his face, waiting for either of them to speak with Pomfrey standing there behind him and feeling the burning gaze of Minato at the back of his head, watching him with interest.

"Ron. Hermione." He greeted coolly and calmly as possible trying to hide the cracking of his voice. "How are you?"

Hermione blinked owlishly. "Harry, what's going on?"

"What do you mean Hermione?" Harry replied not taking his eyes off of her.

"Why were you sitting with the transfer students?" Ron blurted out not unkindly, wincing once the steely emerald gaze landed upon him. "I-I mean, you usually sit beside us is all. Not that there is anything wrong with having other friends, mate. It's just... not like you, I guess." The redhead was fumbling trying to get the right words out. "And you didn't respond to any of our letters either mate, what was up with that?"

Harry closed his eyes. "That's... complicated. Don't worry about it, it's all been resolved by now." 'Kind of' not everything had been resolved, there still was the matter of his guardian. While he was currently labeled as a 'Shinobi-in-training' he still needed a legal guardian in the Wizarding and Muggle world in order to slip through the cracks easily. He doubted that it would be ease since Dumbledore was doing everything in his power to barred Harry from contacting Gringotts or any other legal administrations, needlessly to say Harry's patient were starting to wear rather thin. "How were your summers?"

The two still stood exchanging long and uncertain looks, like they were tying to figure out how to answer it.

"It was... good." Hermione managed to get out forcing a smile upon her face. Her eyes were dancing with concern quickly glancing towards Ron, as the sounds of her gulping reached his ears. "How are your summer, Harry?"

Harry felt his lips twitch. "It was... wonderful."

The perplexed looks on his friends faces were rather amusing, as he chuckled at them. Harry could understand their confusion since most of his summers had been overall dreadful, since he had spent them with the Dursleys, this time however, had been much different. Everything he had learned and experienced had been an eye opener for him, it was refreshing and amazing.

Ron scratched his head. "Was it really that great, mate?"

"It was the best summer I have ever had." Harry admitted truthfully looking at his friend with a peaceful look on his face. "I have no regrets."

Thrice for that day did the two exchange another look, as Hermione spoke up. "What did you do?"

"Things, here and there." Was his cryptic reply, he smiled despite himself. It was nice knowing something that no one else did, it was like his own little secret. Than again, by tomorrow everyone would find out. Not that he truly cared anyway.

"Can you tell us?" Ron asked curiously.

Harry shook his head. "Nope."

"Why not?" The red head demanded.

"Because, it's a secret. Don't worry you'll find out tomorrow, Ron. You'll just have to be patient." Before Ron could make a remark, Harry walked briskly past them not bothering to glance backwards as the sounds of footsteps came from behind him, casually walking down the halls leading them away from Infirmary.

"What classes are you taking this year? I'm taking Muggle Studies, Divination, Arthimancy, COMC and Ancient Runes." Hermione pipped up trying to start a conversation as the tension between the three of them began to break. The body language was rigid and fearful.

Ron made a face. "All of those and your a muggleborn, Hermione! Why would you want to take Muggle Studies?"

"I want to see it from a wizarding perspective-"

Harry shook his head, cutting her off. "Hermione, you might as well teach the class instead. No offense to Professor Burbage, her knowledge of the Muggle World is thin and heavily behind. She barely understands the simplest concept of technology and electricity. If anything, I think you should talk with Professor Dumbledore about assisting her or at least helping her class."

Hermione blinked at that respond and looked rather thoughtful at the ideas, only for a frown to appear. "I'm not sure about that, Harry. I mean, I'm just a third-"

"And the smartest student in the school." Ron added with a grin. "If anyone could teach a class, I'm sure it's you Hermione!"

The bushy haired girl looked at Ron in surprise, as a smile slowly appeared. "Thanks Ron."

"I also suggest dropping Divination." Harry said instantly almost grinning in amusement at causing Hermione to freeze in her place. "Trust me when I say this: Hermione, you WILL despise the teacher AND the course it's self. I had the displeasure of meeting with Professor Trelawyn. I dropped the course after the moment I met her," wrinkling his nose. "I took up Ancient Runes and Healing instead."

"Isn't Healing a sixth year course?" Ron asked curiously.

Harry nodded briskly. "After what we've all been through, it's better to be safe rather than sorry. Right?" There was also the fact he was training to become a Medic-Nin, he already gotten his hands upon some healing Jutsu scrolls and some healing textbooks from Diagon Alley via Owl Post.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Harry?" Hermione questioned biting her lip. "I mean, that will be an awful lot of work and there's a three year gap between that course and the year we're in now. Are you sure you can keep up with that, studying and researching. It's admirable that you want to prepare incase..." She lowered her voice. "You-know-who strikes again."

A grim silence fell upon the three of them knowing that the danger was starting to escalate with each passing moment, the previous year the three of them and the school had barely survived if it hadn't been Hermione's quick thinking and Fawks' healing tears, otherwise the country would have been at war once again. Their lack of preparation and experience had nearly been their downfall, with the notorious Sirius Black on the loose, it was time to stop acting like children and become the adults that they knew that they truly were. The first year had taken their innocence and the second year had taken their childhood, this year would be different. If Black came crawling towards Hogwarts, they would be ready for him.

"She's right." Harry stated grimly. "We can't pretend we're like the other students here, we're not." Looking at the two with a serious look. "It's time for us to grow up. We nearly died the previous years, no longer. I don't know about you two, but I'm going to prepare for the future and whatever Voldemort decides to throw at me."

"H-Harry!"

Harry ignored the gasp. "I've made my decision, now it's time for the two of you to make yours." Without any sense of warning or indication, he turned briskly away from the two heading down the opposite hall as Hermione and Ron stared at him stunned.

It was quiet thrill to have both of them stunned and how close to home his words effected them. Even so, Harry was different from them now. He didn't consider himself wizard or civilian, only a Shinobi. That thought alone didn't seem to disturb him, in fact, he had embraced that feeling.

Two years ago, he would have said that he found acceptance among the wizarding world, and now he felt a kinship and family with the Shinobi. His loyalty had shifted to those that saw him for who he was and treated him accordingly, not holding up on like some trophy and seeing himself like a normal person. The chains that bound him to magical britain had been freed, and could now act like himself without consequence or fearing ridicule, Iruka had told him to embrace his intelligence, Genma and Raidou prompted him to show his resolve, Hayate helped him to find his potential, Anko showed him to use it, Kotetsu and Izumo had allowed him to be creative and cunning as possible.

They were the reason he was alive today and allowed him to start becoming the person they KNEW he could become. For that, Harry would do his best to show them that they had not chosen wrong.

* * *

Minato had watched the interaction between Harry and the two other students, that he had assumed were his friends. Judging by their reaction, they were confused by his attitude and his shown shown of strength, Minato was happy at the fact that boy managed to dodge the questions and acted like a professional shinobi in such little time. The kid was able to keep calm under the pressured gaze with the presence of himself and the woman, he had handled himself rather well. He was quite interested into seeing into seeing how the boy would continue to grow, as his lips twitched into a large grin. Returning his attention upon his son, Naruto, he gripped the boy's hand before leaning over and placing a kiss upon his forehead.

"I'll be back soon, Naruto. Your dad's just going to go and have a talk with the others." Minato whispered gently smiling down at his son before abruptly standing up, ignoring the inquisitive look of Madame Pomfrey. "I'll be back. I trust the wards will be still be open?"

Pomfrey looked at him. "Normally, the infirmary is closed during the nightfall. However, I sincerely doubt that it will keep you out." Her tone said not unkindly, shaking his head tiredly. "Very well, I shall leave the door open for you. Just make sure to close up before you head to bed."

Minato mockingly bowed at her. "Thank you my lady." Gaining a giggle from the woman. "I'll be back post haste." Guiding himself outside the doors and concentrated on the chakra signatures around the castle, he was able to sense Harry and Naruto rather fine, both of their chakra reserves were rather large which helped. The rest of the Shinobi he had managed to locate nearing the faculty room, with several other chakra signatures he was unable to figure out though he had assumed that they were wizards and witches.

Now, Minato was not a prejudice man nor was he narrow minded. During his training he had encountered many different types of people, civilian and Shinobi alike, none of them had come across as narrow-minded and greedier than Wizards. He didn't hate them and didn't generalize them either, that was childish and unintelligent. Still, he did not hold many wizards in high regard and was rather wary of them. The war between Iwa and Konoha had started to escalate, in which they had been forced to gain the aid of the wizarding community to help solve the problem.

It was at that moment he had meet Lily Potter.

The moment she had come to Konoha, was the day that their world had changed. She and Kushina had hit off like it was nobodies business, together they planned and revised the information and tactics that they had been at their disposal.

Lily Potter was different from any other person and civilian he had ever encountered or any Shinobi had encounter. The woman certainly had no problem telling them off or pointing out the giant flaws in their plans and techniques even going as far as calling them moronic and stupid, afterwards listing out the reasons why and what they could do about it.

Hyuuga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku had challenged her authority, resorting to less-than kind names. Fortunately, Lily didn't not response or even acknowledge their existence and continued to do her job making the Uchiha and Hyuuga factions look like incompetent and childish, Fugaku had nearly take off her hand if Tsunade hadn't stopped him.

That woman had managed to win the hearts and souls of the Konoha people, many men and some women were utterly disappointed to discover that she was not only engaged but was getting married once her job was done. Minato grinned, that James Potter was one hell of a lucky man in his opinion. Tsunade had even offered to take the woman under her apprentice in order to get her to stay, only for Lily to politely turn her down, though promised to return to visit them one day.

Judging from the scars on Harry's body, it didn't seem like Lily nor her husband were among the living any longer. It made his heartache, one of the most wonderful people he had the pleasure of fighting alongside had lost her life only for her son to be alone in the world.

Just like Naruto.

Minato flinched at the mental comparison, he had managed to save not only his village from destruction but his son from death. It was worth the risk to taking the Kyuubi's chakra into himself before being sealed into Naruto's stomach, helping to circulate the demonic chakra and keeping the demon's influence from touching his son.

Now wasn't the time for that, Minato shook it off concentrating on the Chakra signatures as he made his way up towards the Gargoyle that stood there. Sensing the others behind the door, he narrowed his eyes staring at the stone statue.

"Now, how to get through?" Minato murmured looking at statue as he tried to figure out how to get to the door. "There's going to be someway through without destroying it, I don't want to be forced to pay for it." Cringing, uncertain if he even had money left in his bank after his 'supposed' death. "There must be some trick."

"If you're looking for a way, all you'll have to do is ask." A dream like voice rang through his ear, sharply turning around his eyes landed upon a petit young blonde girl standing there wearing nothing more than her dress robe. She had a dream like expression upon her face, staring up at him. "Welcome back again."

Minato pressed his lips. "Again?"

"I don't know, but my instincts told me to say that and we must always follow our instincts." The blonde girl stated without even blinking at him.

"I see." Minato replied before concentrating his sensing upon the girl, he found nothing wrong with her chakra at all and was unable to sense anything else. Maybe she was just perceptive? Nah, must have been a lucky guess. Pushing that thought out of the way, he placed his hands upon his hips. "By any chance can you help me get in there, miss...?"

The girl smiled. "Luna. Luna Lovegood, and I'd be delighted to help you...?"

"Minato Namikaze."

"Well met, Mr. Namikaze." Luna answered with a smile before skipping up towards the Gargoyle statue much to Minato's amusement. "Could you move please? Mr. Namikaze needs to get inside, he needs to talk to the Headmaster." No sound came as Luna frowned. "No, I don't think so. Mr. Namikaze doesn't seem like that type of person. He seems like a good man." Once again no sound came as Luna giggled. "Yes, he does seem that way doesn't he? I'm sure Mr. Namikaze won't destroy anything and yes, I do think he is a chocolate type of person."

How did she know that and why was she talking to an object? Minato wondered briefly watching at the girl nodded her head, only to stare at amazement as the Gargoyle jumped to the side allowing him access to the door. "Luna, how did you do that?"

The girl smiled at him. "Oh, you see Hudson gets bored so easily since no one stops to talk to him. So I always make sure to come and chat with him, you should too. He seems to like you, Mr. Namikaze. Anyway, I must be getting back. I hope you're meeting with the Headmaster goes well." Skipping away leaving Minato standing there stunned and bewildered, before his gaze lingered upon the Gargoyle.

"I guess I should make an effort to come and visit you, huh?" The blonde grinned weakly as his hand's ruffled the stone statue's head before heading up the staircase wearing the sounds and noises coming from the other side, most of them arguments about the Shinobi, he snorted. Probably those wizards making a comment as he pushed his way through the door feeling every single eye fall upon him without a moment's hesitation. The room became tense as he felt the distrust come from his fellow Konoha Shinobi.

Minato did not feel like dealing with this at the moment, so he decided to take action.

One of the men, was Asuma Sarutobi, the Sandaime's son, as the man opened his mouth only for him to interrupt. "Asuma, do you REALLY won't me to bring up the time when you got drunk during your Chuunin Promotion?" He asked dryly looking at the flustered man. "I do believe you tried to hit on Kushina, before took you outside and used a Sution Jutsu on you." Turning towards the swordsman. "Hayate, I'll say these words: Office. Anbu. PAPER." He stressed the word causing Hayate to gap at him. "Anko, Halloween when your a genin. You got into a mud fighting contest with Kurenai, if I remember correctly your mother was highly displeasured with alcohol burns." The Tokubetsu Jounin clamped her mouth shut. "Kotetsu and Izumo, I sincerely hoped that you two learned your lesson after using my Hokage Hat as target practice." The Chuunin duo gulped fearfully. "Iruka, you went into my office and were looking up seals only to burn my library down." The man gazed down at the floor ashamed. "Are we done with the interrogations?"

Genma snorted. "And we're supposed to tru-"

"You and Raidou were assigned a mission with me, only to make gigantic asses of yourselves when confronting Iwa-nin. You got a senbon up your ass and Raidou fell straight into the river, loosing his headband." Minato interrupted again looking at the honey-brown haired man with a calculating expression. "Anything else, Genma?"

"No sir." The man murmured quietly looking like a wounded puppy.

Raidou remained silently. "It's him..."

"And just who is this man?" A man with greasy black hair and a large nose sneer, looking at Minato with an angry look upon his face. "And pray tell where did he come from?"

Shikamaru looked at the man with a dried look. "He's the Yondaime, Namikaze Minato and Naruto's dad." Noticing that everyone else froze in their places. "What? It wasn't that hard to figure out." 'That and there were many things that clue me on it' as he yawned loudly. "Can we finish this, it's rather troublesome."

Yuushi rolled his eyes, smacking the boy upside the head. "Be nice, brat."

"I am being nice." Shikamaru retorted dryly. "I'm just tired."

"When aren't you tired?" Shino stated pushing his glasses up.

Yakumo resisted the urge to giggle. "Be nice guys, Shikamaru's just being Shikamaru."

"Well this is all well and good, I would still like an answer." A stern looking woman spoke up as her voice boomed gaining the room's attention. While she looked utterly ridiculously in what she was wearing, Minato could understand why she was able to captivate the room's attention. Her gaze was sharp like an eagle and her tone was that no one should disagree with, as her attention fellow upon him. "Now, Mr. Namikaze, please explain to use as to how you managed to get here."

Minato frowned, looking thoughtful. "I believe it may have something to do with the seal, I placed upon Naruto during the attack. However, before I can come to any conclusion, can you tell me if there are any types of defensives surrounding this place?"

"Their are quiet a few wards protecting the castle." The small elderly man answered with a pip, smiling up at him. "Tell me, what type of seal was it?"

Minato's gaze narrowed flashing towards the younger generation. "It's a type of Chakra Circulation Cycle, he was born with an irregularity. So I placed upon him in order to make it flow better." It wasn't entire a lie, and wasn't the entire truth either.

The little man nodded. "I see," frowning as he began to think. "Bathsheda, do you have any ideas?"

A woman, not quite old, yet not quiet young paused and pressed her lips together. "Unfortunately, I do not. I have been unable to travel in the recent years, and find myself at loss Mr. Namikaze." She paused for a moment regarding the blonde man. "However, I do know of one person that might just be able to help you."

"Who?" The stern woman asked sharply.

Bathsheda looked at her calmly. "Bill Weasley. He is a part of Gringotts and has traveled the world, and was my top student. If anyone can figure out what happened, I am certain that it will be Bill." Removing herself from her seat. "In fact, I shall send a letter to him now."

Minato nodded. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome, Mr. Namikaze." Bathsheda nodded her head gracefully as she left the room.

"So what now?" Anko asked sharpening her kunai.

"I think introductions are in order." The stern woman spoke up looking at Minato. "I don't believe you are aware of our names, I am Professor Minvera McGonagall. Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House, I would like to welcome you here to Hogwarts."

"Professor Severus Snape." The greasy haired man sneered at him with disgust. "Slytherin House and Potions Master."

"And childish man to the extreme." Izumo murmured to Kotetsu, whom sniggered.

"Professor Pomona Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff House and Herbology. Welcome to Hogwarts, dear." The plump looking woman smiled at Minato kindly, gaining a nod from the blonde Shinobi.

"Professor Flitwick, Head of Ravenclaw House and Charms teacher. I'll be sure to start researching and getting in contact with someone of my old friends, perhaps we can find something." The small elderly man stated.

"Thank you, Flitwick-sensei. I appreciate it." Minato answered with a smile.

The man sitting the chair looked at Minato with an unreadable look. "Namikaze-san, please tell us what is it that you'd like to do in the mean time?"

"I'd like the spend time with my son." Was Minato's curt reply looking at the man calmly not trusting him at all, he was getting a strange vibe from him that he didn't like. Looking at his fellow Shinobi. "Can anyone of you bring me up to speed on what's going on?"

"In laymen terms, we were hired to protect Harry, whose now one of us, and defend the school from a killer known as Sirius Black. These brats," Kotetsu gestured towards Asuma and his team. "Came to provide another mission scroll and escort Yuushi and Yakumo here, to be placed on Harry's team. Than those things in black appeared." Sending a shudder down everyone's backs. "Naruto and Harry fell unconscious, we reached Hogwarts and BAM you appeared out of nowhere."

Minato raised an eyebrow. "Elegantly put, Kotetsu."

"I aim to please!"

Minato snorted, turning towards the Faculty. "I assume you wish for me to assume a position as a teacher?"

"That would work." Asuma murmured thinking out loud.

A cough was heard, as a rugged man with tattered clothing and brown hair caught their attention. He was rather handsome looking, despite his tired and worn look. "Excuse me, but did you just say that Harry Potter joined as a Shinobi?"

"Yes, that's correct." Kotetsu answered

"I-I see..." The man murmured looking crescent fallen, only to shake it off. "I"m sorry, I should introduce myself. I am Remus Lupin, the new DADA teacher. I assume we will be discussing class room issues?"

"That is acceptable." Iruka nodded wondering why the man was focused on Harry so much and why he looked solemn.

Raidou had enough as he removed himself from the wall he was leaning against. "I am going to take a bath, please inform me of any other changes." Walking stoically past them not even bothering to acknowledge the worries looks of his comrades and glance of Minato, he went through the door.

The Headmaster smiled. "So, shall we discuss rooming arrangements?"

* * *

Was this some cruel joke?

Raidou's legs moved as fast as they could in oder to get away from the headmaster's room, gritting his teeth along the way. It felt like the universe has cosmically bitched slapped him across the face, mocking him in the worst away imaginable!

Why did life had been so cruel! He had done nothing to deserve this level of torture, and just when he and Genma had started to find a balance in their relationship. Before they had gotten together and before the Kyuubi attack, Raidou had been involved with Minato. It was a relationship that was doomed from the start, both of them had known it and didn't care, they were living for the moment. They kept their secrets from everyone, not wanting anyone to discover the truth about them in fear of reprimanded or worse, not that people in Konoha cared about same-sex relationship, but rather that the Hokage candidate and husband to Kushina, was having an affair with another man would have damaged both of their reputations.

Kushina had discovered their relationship, much to their horror only for it to be washed away. The woman had been accepting of it and asked if she could get pictures, much to their embarrassment, though they had been happy with the fact she had accepted their relationship. When he brought the reason why, she had responded with this:

"It's not about man or woman, nor is it about monogamy. It's about love between people, and I can tell that Minato loves you just as much as he loves me. You are family Raidou, and a father to this child. Never forget, you are apart of the Uzuamki-Namikaze Family." She said with a bright smile on her face.

Those words had touched his heart as he spent nearly everyday there, waiting by Kushina's and Minato's side, wanting to see their baby. Only for the happily family to be snatched away from him, cruelly by the night of the Kyuuubi attack.

He had lost Kushina AND Minato during that night, only leaving behind Naruto. He wasn't stupid, he had known that Naruto had been Kushina's and Minato's son, Raidou had even attempted to gain custody of the boy only for the council and the Sandaime to prevent him at every step. The council's reasons were selfish and self-motivated, only desiring for the boy to remain malleable and ignorant of the Shinobi ways, while Sandaime wished for the boy to be raised in peace only to chose to be Shinobi willingly and not at the expense of obligation.

In all honestly, Raidou thought that reasoning was utter bullshit but opted not to say it. He had watched as Naruto had been treated cruelly not only by civilians and Shinobi alike but, also by students and teachers, doing everything in their power to make the boy's life a living hell for him. It disgusted him, how narrowed minded fools that allowed their fears and hatred to blind of the truth, while they could hate the demon with everything they had in reality it was them that were the true demons. Taking it out on a kid, especially one whom was unable to fight back.

He had pleaded with the Sandaime day in and day out to allow him to take Naruto in, only to be continually denied. Watching the boy suffer so needlessly that like that twisted in heart, and felt like scum for being unable to do anything for the child.

It was than when Umino Iruka had approached the child and taken him in, did his heart gain reassurance. He had trained and fought along side with Iruka, during the boy's years as a Genin, in the beginning Iruka had been a ruffian much like Naruto was now. No one paid attention to him thus Iruka had resorted to havoc and become the class clown, until he had become a official Shinobi of Konoha. Iruka had ceased being the joker and prankster that everyone had become grown to know and was replaced with a respectable and dedicated man. It was odd, how becoming a full-fledged Shinobi could change a person as Raidou allowed himself to grin roguishly.

How simple things were back then, not how they were now. The Shinobi scowled, with the council gaining more control and the Sandaime unable to fight back, it was only a matter of time before that war-hawk Danzo managed to gain Konoha under his entire control.

Raidou would never serve such a corrupted man such as Danzo, he'd rather betray the village than follow him. If only Minato could take the position again. However, he sincerely doubted that the blonde would take it once he learned of the hell his son had been forced to endure.

Sighing heavily as he stripped down to his nakedness, reaching over and turned on the bath as the hot water began to pour out and spread across the large squared bath. He was grateful for the fact that the school had such a large bath where he would be able to allow himself to relax his muscles without having to worry about anything or anyone.

Raidou stepped into the water flinching slightly at the hotness of it before shrugging it off and allow the heated water to wash against his strained muscles. Dumping his head under the water and allowing the wetness to drip down as his head submerged from the water, Raidou fell backwards feeling the splashing against his back and shivered with delight. The man let out a pleasurable sigh feeling his body drifting in the water, the heaviness of his eyes were beginning to get to him.

"Raidou?"

The man instantly arched his back up, staring up towards Minato, whom stood there gazing at him with a calm look. Neither man looked away from the other and no words were changed, the only comfort between them was the steam that came from the bath.

The dark blue eyes stared at him, as the man smiled hesitantly. "Mind if I join you?"

"I don't know." Raidou replied curtly gazing at him stoically, his arms crossed over his chest. "Can you?" He hadn't meant it that harshly, still Minato needed to know that he wasn't the same after thirteen years and the fact he was seeing someone that he loved very much so.

Minato's smile slipped. "That wasn't funny."

"I know."

An awkward silence as Minato looked mildly uncomfortable. "If I joined you, would you be mad?"

Raidou considered this for a moment, looking thoughtful. "...No." He admitted truthfully, he wouldn't be offended.

"I'm glad." Minato smiled serenely as he began to strip out of his clothing, slowly not bothering to look the brunette haired man as eventually ended up standing there utterly naked. He knew that the jounin was watching him, and slowly began to enter the water his gaze firmly locked onto him. "It's hot."

Raidou nodded. "I prefer it this way."

"Just like I remember." Minato said not unkindly as he smiled.

"So it seems." Raidou retorted dryly as he tried to keep himself from staring at the man, the same one he had lost thirteen years ago. Minato did not look a day over twenty five, looking as young and strong as he had been all those years ago and feeling the power emitting form him was just as powerful. He swallowed thickly watching carefully as the blonde man began to swim and let his body stretch out in the water, glistening down his muscular chest. The water drops slide down his handsome face. 'Shit' he thought to himself unable to tear his gaze away as Minato swam towards them, the distance between them began to fade. "Minato..."

The man placed a finger upon his lips. "Shush... Raidou," His voice was soft and soothing staring at him softly, allowing his hand to gently cup the man's face. "I missed this."

"Minato." Raidou's voice barely above a whisper staring intensely into the deep pools of blue. His body was frozen in place as he felt the masculine fingers slowly caressing his things before pulling him closer towards the other man allowing their chests to be pressed against one another. His breath became heavy, as he felt the hot air escaping the other man's lips calmly. "Stop."

"I don't want to." Minato whispered huskily as his fingers wrapped around the other man's thighs tightly pressing against the other man, he stared intensely before reaching past the man's lips straight over to his cheek pressing kiss on one side before pressing another on the other. His hands left Raidou's waist and moved upwards placing them against the man's muscular chest, feeling the roughness of it as his fingers slide down playing with the hardened nipples of the other man. He let out a chuckle as he buried his head into the spiky man's neck, nuzzling it as his hands slide down to the tanned man's buttock, gripping it. "You smell nice."

Raidou gulped, trying to keep his emotions under control, his erection on the other hand betrayed what he was feeing and pressed rather happily against Minato's stomach rubbing against it. "W-We can't do this."

"And why not?" Minato question smirking at him. "I think someone is rather happy to seem me." Pressing a kiss onto the man's neck before turning his head sharply, slamming against the man's lips. The two stood as the blonde slowly pressed gently against the other man's, releasing it. Kissing the man again, this time as rough as possible, his tongue slide straight into the man's mouth as he felt the other tongue began to battle for dominance. He shivered as he felt Raidou's hands pressed against his behind, slapping hard. The feeling of their erections brushing as the kiss continued, deepening with each press eventually the need for air had beaten both of them. Smiling at him, his arms slide up and wrapped around his neck. "You still kiss, just like I remembered."

Raidou panted softly placing his forehead against Minato's. "I'm serious Minato. We can't do this, not here. Not now, not ever." Staring into the other man's eyes. "I'm with someone."

"Whose the lucky man?" Minato asked releasing Raidou after getting that information, feeling rather guilty for trying to seduce the other man.

Raidou looked away. "Genma."

"Ah." Minato nodded approvingly. "He is rather sexy isn't he." He noticed the fluster look on the man's face and smiled. "How long?"

"Genma and I? Nearly six years."

Minato nodded. "Congratulations, Raidou. I'm glad that you were able to find someone."

"I thought you'd be angry." Raidou said a rather bewildered at the man's calmness.

"Why would I be?" Minato questioned with a smile. "You're my...well, my former lover. After... how many years has it been since i've been alive?"

Raidou chuckled. "Thirteen years."

"Thanks. Thirteen years, you deserve every right to be happy. Besides, you look great and seem much happier." Minato responded with a nod. "Genma seemed to be doing you good, for that I am happy. And besides, I have no right to tell you who you can and cannot see. You are your own person, Raidou. Just promise me one thing."

Raidou blinked at how smoothly this conversation as going. "What?"

"Make sure to invite me to the wedding, alright?"

"MINATO!"

* * *

"Get up." A rough and angry voice hissed. "I SAID GET UP!"

A groan escaped a young boy's mouth, blinking tiredly with drool slipping down his lips. "Huh, where am I and where's all the ramen?" He yawned loudly stretching out his arms, still looking rather tired. Feeling the mucky water underneath his hand and bottom, he instantly shot up looking around the area with fear and wonder. "W-Where am I and how did get here?"

A sound of thrashed caught his attention, making him whirl around and stare up at the giant cage. Behind the cage was a pair of giant red eyes, filled with utter hate and anger behind the eyes were nine furry tails that thrashed against the metal bars upon the other side. The boy gulped looking up towards the creature which was on the other side of the jail, he could feel the overwhelming power that was coming from the beast. He felt paralyzed being under the gaze of the monster standing before him.

"Good to see that you're awake brat. For a second there, I honestly thought you were a goner." The monster growled out glaring at the boy. "Next time a stun like that happens, actually TRY To fight off why don't you! You nearly costed both of our lives you IDIOT!"

The boy snapped out his bewilderment, glaring up at the creature. "What the hell do you mean by that FURBALL!"

"Furball? You have guts, kid. Calling the lord of the Demon lords, a furball." A malicious grin came from the darkness of the jail. "Than again, I AM taking to the number one knuckle headed surprising Ninja, Uzumaki Naruto." He chuckled darkly at the thought, grimacing a bit. "Let's cut straight to the chase kid, you nearly died. Taking us both out."

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked the demon cautiously, not willing to trust him.

Kyuubi glared at him. "What do you think? Are you that big of a moron, on second thought don't answer that. It's already obvious enough." Ignoring the undignified cries of the beast. "Listen up brat, I'm only going to explain this once and ONLY once. My chakra and your chakra are connected, circulating between us both. Only my chakra goes straight to you, rather than myself. When approaching Hogwarts, the wards protecting the castle sensed me as a threat and decided to remove me via magic. However, due to your seal, it just made us both become unconscious."

"Wait, so it saw us both as a threat?" Naruto murmured looking a bit disgusted.

The demon snarled. "I ain't happy about it either, brat. Deal with it, I have to."

"You're not telling me, everything are you?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

Kyuubi looked at him for several moments. "So you DO have a brain, I never would have guessed." The sarcasm was not lost on Naruto, only for the demon to continue before the boy began yelling again. "Your right. I AM with holding something, you'll find out soon. Trust me. The only thing I"m going to say kid, is make sure that seal is up and running. I don't want to die because of some mistake!"

"But don't you want the seal to be destroyed? Won't that let you loose?" Naruto asked confused and bewildered by the demon's attitude. After all, it was the seal that made the demon stay within him right? Why in heavens high would the demon WANT to remain inside of him? It made no sense.

"Why don't you as your darling teachers about that kid. I'm sure ONE of them will know, at least _he _will." Kyuubi remarked coldly, looking at the boy with disgust. "Now get the hell out of here and actually stating training seriously for once! I refuse to have such a weak vessel!"

Naruto glared at him. "Hey what hell do you mean, you damn fox? I train my ASS off every single day!"

"Yeah and what do you know so far?" Kyuubi retorted addressing him as if he was some petulant child, he waited for an answer as the blonde haired boy opened his mouth only to freeze in place as nothing came out of it. "Exactly. The only things you know are Tree walking and Shadow Clones. Not much for the becoming Hokage, is it?"

Naruto glared at him, as his fists tightened. "Bastard."

"Noted." Kyuubi stated. "Now, how about you go and ask that teacher of yours to actually train you. Now get out and don't you DARE come back here unless it's for a good DAMN reason. You got that, brat?"

"Like, I'd want to." Naruto sneered back at him.

Kyuubi smirked. "Maybe you'd make a good vessel after all, I look forward to seeing just how much you'll grow Uzumaki Naruto."

Darkness swirled around him as the jail cell and water began to disappear, as white light began to breakthrough blinding his vision. As the light slowly began to dim, Naruto felt his eyes beginning to open only to wince irritably as his vision returned to normal. Finding himself in a strange hospital like environment, he blinked lazily and turned to the side only to see a blonde haired man sitting on the side, gripping his head.

"Y...Yondaime-sama..." Naruto gasped staring at the legendary man.

The man smiled back at him. "Good morning, Naruto."

* * *

Chapter six end.

I want to apologize for such a late chapter, my muse seemed to have run away once again. Thankfully it had returned with newer and greater ideas! This chapter was easier to write than the previous ones before it, so I hope that all of you enjoyed reading it. I am STILL looking for a beta, so if you are interested please make sure to leave a note in your review!

The whole Raidou x Minato thing was planned from the start actually, I am STILL pending upon future relationships in the future so please be patient.

kirallie: Yep! Sorry, about that. I honestly, I think chapter five was more filler than it was plot... and yes, at least one professor supports Harry's decision! XD.

Black Hyacinth: The whole Remus x Asuma is currently an idea that I'm playing with, it has yet to form into anything. As for Asuma x Kurenai, I don't mind it not my favorite pairing overall though. Thanks for your support, my mom is doing fine though :D. And don't worry, plot is just starting to form -insert evil laughter here-

Alec McDowell: Thanks! Yeah, Remus hasn't been getting much screen time as of lately, don't worry though he'll get more. The whole Remus x Asuma pairing was a spur of the moment, it has yet to grow into anything serious in my mind as of yet. I have some plans with several other students of Hogwarts, that I plan on divulging into eventually, each of them will have their own backstory so no worries about randomness. Yes, the ultimately buzz killer pair, I'm thoroughly enjoying what I have planned for Hermione mwahahaha XD. I don't mind Kiba overall, I'm just keeping my options open for the moment.

xXxOtAkU-444xXx: Thanks! Glad that you enjoyed!

knightblazer85: Yep, it was an idea that hit me randomly. It seemed to work though.

Pika-chan: I'm trying to write the Shinobi as realistically as possible, don't worry they'll eventually grow up and learn from them just as the wizards will learn from them as well. It's a learning experience for both of them.

fk307 animelover: I'm glad that you like! I hope you'll enjoy what I have in store for the rest of the fic!

WizardsGirl: I'm glad that you like, and I'll try to update when I am able to. My muse has the tendency to run away from me -glares at the muse-

Exodiano: Thanks! That's definiately a reliever! And YAY! Cookies! *shares with everyone* XD!

GinaStar: Thanks! I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the fic!

Poll: CLOSED.

Male Tsunade: 15 WINNER

Medic-Nin with Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, Genjutsu Master, Tsunade Route with Mediwizard and Ninjutsu: 1.

Tsunade Route with Runes and Seals: 5.

Tsunade Route with Seals: 3

Clone! Minato: 0.

That's the end of the poll! Thanks for voting everyone, I appreciate it! Make sure to check out my other Naruto x HP fanfiction called: Rise of the Jinchuuriki Revised! Anyway, make sure to leave constructive criticism in your review, until next time!


	7. Thoughts

Chapter Seven: Thoughts

The dawning of the first day was going to be painful. Not just for the students and the professors of the school but also for the Shinobi. Each of them met up near the lakeside located near the castle in order to provide perform their regular training. Unfortunately, the rest of Team Asuma had not shown up making the rest of them with the exception of Raidou and Iruka, only to have been told to not worry about them. Seeing Iruka had practically raised Naruto all on his own, plus taught Shino and Shikamaru as well, no one had questioned the older man's words as they waited by the lake side.

Iruka remained wearing his Chuunin uniform as he held a clipboard near his chest, reading the documents attached to it very closely as he glanced at his assistants, and the newest team to have been formed under his tutelage. He pressed his lips together and seemed to resist the urge to sigh heavily and turned towards Raidou whispering something to him as the scarred man nodded slowly.

The man murmured something incohernt under his breath, vanishing from sight as the genin exchanged bewildered, and irritated looks between them. Needless to say none of them were amused by this turn of events.

Yakumo bit her lips. "I hope everything is okay... especially with Naruto..."

"I'm sure that he's fine Yakumo." Yuushi reassured the younger girl placing one of his hands upon her shoulder followed by a tight squeeze as he smiled gently at her. "The kid is far stronger than he looks try to have some faith in him, alright?"

The red haired girl blushed staring into his eyes before turning away rather roughly. "O-of course I trust him, Yuushi! But he's been in the infirmary since last night and still hasn't woken up yet. Shouldn't we all be concerned about that?"

"Naruto is awake, Yakumo." Iruka answered gaining the attention of the two teens as he scribbled something down on the clipboard as he flashed a soft and hesitat smile. "Give it time, he'll be back and up to being his old hyperactive knuckleheaded self in no time. You simply need to be patient and keep your emotions in check." The girl flushed under the words that had been sent her away. "But I'm glad to see you concerned for your fellow Shinobi, it shows you have deep loyalty to those around you."

Yakumo's face burned a bit at the comment as her lips bloomed into a smile. "R-right!" Still feeling strange at the praise she had just been give. "W-will Naruto be joining us for training today?"

"Is it even okay for him to be joining us today, especially after yesterday whatever caused him to be in pain so suddenly, I don't believe it would be a good idea to have him immediately rejoin us." Yuushi commented with a thin frown. "He should be focusing on getting better rather than causing another injury or another outburst. None of us know if that will even happen again, and for Naruto's sake I think it would be better if he sat this training session out."

Anko frowned at him. "Are you calling him a liability?"

"Anko-san!" Yakumo cried out in shock.

"Don't twist my words." Yuushi retorted coldly towards the woman as he glared at her fiercely. "I merely stated I believe it would be in Naruto's best interest to simply observe rather than participate in today's training."

Hayate coughed. "Let's wait and see, shall we? If Naruto is still injured than he'll have to sit out but if he feels up to it, we'll allow it. None of us can baby him." he glanced over to the side, and crossing his arms over his chest as he smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Denshi! You're late!"

Genma yawned and blinked lazily. "We were wondering if you were ever going to show up!"

"Sorry I'm late!" Harry apologized feeling rather embarrassed about the entire thing as his face flushed a bright shade of red causing everyone else around him to chuckle. He was no longer wearing a Hogwarts uniform having ditched his usual school uniform back at the castle. And Harry wore his custom outfit that he used specifically for training, a dark green hoodie with no sleeves but had a dark black shirt underneath while he wore a pair of fingerless gloves around his hands and a pair of long khakhi shorts that went past his kneecaps. His shoes were hiker boots, unlike normal hiker boots he had placed spikes underneath for projectiles in case of needing to escape the enemy. As he placed an arm to the back of his head scratching it feeling rather embarrassed, closing on the group. "Did I miss anything important, Iruka-sensei?"

Kotetsu grinned. "You're just on time kid, we're about to go over the mission!"

"Sleep alright?" Izumo asked.

Harry shrugged. "People were asking question and bugging me about the Dementors. Malfoy will probably find some way to humiliate me once the day starts." Not that he was even remotely concerned about it as he had begun to view Malfoy as nothing more than an annoyance at best, and better to be ignored instead of reacting to his childish and petty words. He was no longer a child, and couldn't afford to remain as one. Not anymore. Frowning as he looked around as he noticed the others missing. "Where's everyone else?"

Iruka suddenly wore a cheerful expression. "They'll be arrive soon enough." The 'If they know what's good for them' was left unsaid, though they happened to pick up upon it. They all shivered in unison and eyed the man with apprehension mixed with slight awe.

"Shit he's going to Dark mode!" Genma hissed as he hide behind Anko, whom was struggling to free herself from his hold.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Anko chanted shaking her body in order to free herself from Genma, wiggling as much as she could not caring how much everyone was staring at her.

Ignoring the scene beside them, Iruka looked at Harry. "Izumo and Kotetsu use the Henge in order to take the appearance of two thirteen year olds in order to infiltrate the school and attend classes with you."

"What about Yuushi and I?" Yakumo questioned with curiosity and worry. "Weren't we meant to be Harry-kun's teammates?"

Iruka nodded his head looking at the mission scroll. "Yes, you are. As a Genin team under Hayate's tutelage, the three of you will be conducting missions and training together in order to prepare for your future careers as Shinobi."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here." Yuushi interjected with a grunt gazing at the man with a 'none too pleased' look on his face.

"It looks way too suspicious if more transfer students appeared out of nowhere, not to mention if you merely disappeared after the week." Iruka elaborated seriously. "We don't want to create anymore unnecessary complications to this mission than there already are." A grim atmosphere seemed fall over the group.

Yuushi still wasn't pleased. "So you're sending us back than?"

"Not necessarily." Izumo cut in interrupting the outburst that was threatening to come. "I am assuming that you are aware of Summon Jutsus?"

"Y-yes, I believe my father had one." Yakumo stated. "I think it was a Cat summon, I can't really remember. I was young at the time when he first summoned it." As she gazed down at the floor when all eyes fell upon her, only for her to start blushing madly.

Yuushi shrugged. "My old sensei had one, why?"

"We're trying to making a 'connection' for a lack of a better term between Konoha and Hogwarts, in order to transport back and forth in an instant." Izumo answered seeing the bewildered look. "These stick wavers have the ability to transport themselves in a similar manner called 'Apparation' which would be very beneficial to Konoha."

"It sounds exactly like the Flicking Jutsus." Yakumo murmured under her breath looking rather thoughtful at the idea.

Izumo nodded his head. "That's what we assumed as well, however, we were proven wrong. It's entirely different from our Body Flicker Jutsu."

"Sounds like a less dangerous version of my Hiraishin technique."

Izumo nodded his head looking rather thoughtful. "I wouldn't call it similar to the Hiraishi, since it is a battle technique. The train of thought wouldn't be entirely off, and could be classified as a alternate usage of Space-Time Jutsus until we have further proof..." His voice trailed off and his face paled and looked to the side before paling even further.

Minato smiled.

And started to wave towards the man, in a rather friendly and cheerful manner, "Morning Izumo."

"...Y...on...da...i...me...s-s...ama..." Izumo said slowly before fainting to the ground as his face went from pale white to pure red.

Shikarmaru bent down and began to poke the man. "Is he dead?"

"If he is we can always feed him to the giant squid." Yuushi commented dryly.

Naruto smirked. "Or Shino's bugs to eat!"

"... My bugs are not carnivorous." Shino murmured as he pushed up his sunglasses.

Yakumo blinked. "But... aren't they? I mean they are like summons, right?"

"No. That is a common misconception regarding my clan, the ones I currently have are sensor based rather than offensive. However, do not take them lightly simply because they are not fit for fighting." Shino warned in a calm manner gazing at the group of Genin gathered, his sunglasses glinting under the rays of light giving off a menacing aura.

"H...heh... t... that's nice Shino..." Yuushi remarked glancing at him with a slightly frightened look on his face.

Minato chuckled. "Just like a true member of the Aburame." His gaze left the younger generation and he focused his attention towards the older ones, particularly upon Iruka. "I'm guessing that you're in charge of this mission?"

Iruka coughed. "Y-yes Yondaime-sama!"

"Please, call me Minato. I am not Hokage anymore, Iruka-sensei. And I would prefer to be known as 'Minato' instead of 'Yondaime'. I am, after all, a shinobi like yourself."

Iruka swallowed thickly. "Alright... Minato-san, we were just discussing our plan of action for today." Directing his attention towards the figure standing in front of him was insanely difficult to say the least. this man was not only one of the strongest men upon the planet, but he was also the Hokage and Naruto's father to boot! He had to ignore the surge of anger that was staring to push towards his heart and head; he needed to keep himself from lashing out. "Since Harry is a _student_here at Hogwarts, I'm having Izumo and Kotetsu infiltrate as students as well."

"That plan has merit." Minato remarked with a nod as his eyes flash towards the dark haired boy, whom blushed under his sight. A soft smile appeared upon his face. "I see that you've chosen the path of the Shinobi, Harry-kun."

"Yes sir." Harry replied with no hesitation and a strong conviction in his voice as his eyes met with Minato with a firm fire that burned deep with him. "I have no regret of my choice.

The Yondaime smiled. "I didn't think that you did. Class starts soon correct?"

"Yes, I'm planning on splitting them intro groups to train under." Iruka stated as he looked at Asuma. "That is, if you have no problem. Asuma-san."

The gruff man waved his head in dismissal. "I trust in your judgement, Iruka."

"Yakumo, while a Genjutsu prodigy still lacks in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, and Naruto also needs to brush up in those departments." Iruka said ignoring the blushes from both students as they exchanged sheepish looks at one another. "Shikamaru and Shino are passable with Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, however, are ill-prepared when it comes down to Genjutsu, Harry so far has shown promise in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. His Genjutsus is passable at best."

"I'll take Naruto." Minato spoke up instantly.

No one argued.

"I guess I'll take the lazy brat than." Genma offered as he let loose a loud yawn and blinked tiredly as he looked at the Nara. "Better not give me trouble brat."

"How troublesome..." Shikamaru murmured under his breath, stuffing his hands straight into his pocket as a brief look of annoyance appeared only for it to have vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. With a grumble, he silently followed the lazy Jounin behind him.

Raidou turned his attention towards Shino. "You will be training with me, Shino. As a member of the Aburame family I expect great things from you." Watching carefully as the boy nodded his head slowly the two disappeared into the distance.

"Shall we go than, Naruto?" Minato smiled down at his son with a loving and fatherly, as the younger Shinobi blushed at the calm gesture.

"Y-yeah!"

Iruka looked over the notes as he switched his gaze towards the final team. "I think that it would be best for Asuma to be training you, Yakumo. You need to improve your stamina and endurance so Asuma will be able to help you do that." The girl nodded as Asuma straightened up. "Yuushi, I think you're pretty alright at the moment where you are, but there is always room for improvement. I think training with Izumo and Kotetsu will be good for you."

Yuushi smirked as he turned towards the two Chuunins. "I'm going to have a lot of fun today." Cracking his knuckles, as his smirk became dark while gazing lowly at the two men.

"Don't underestimate us because of our age, boy." Kotetsu warned with a playful smirk on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes, as they glinted coldly.

Izumo shared this expression."You should always look underneath the underneath, Yuushi." His smirk could only be described as feral.

"Bring it on old men!" The teen challenged cockily.

Hayate's eyes landed upon Harry, smirking widely. "Which means you'll be training with me this morning." The smile continued to grow even wider nearly chuckling sadistically as his student stared at him with a look of horror. "You should be happy though, we won't be using the lake to spar for today."

"That's good...?" Harry replied nervously with a frown as he kept a distrustful gaze on his sensei. He wasn't sure whether or not that he should be happy with the fact that they were moving to something else instead of continuing with water walking sparing, he assumed it was because he had mastered the technique and were moving on to something more complicated or... Hayate-sensei was taking pity on him. He wasn't sure yet.

Hayate leered at his student. "Oh yes. It's a very good thing indeed my young student. Do you want to know why?"

"Why?" Harry questioned eyeing the older man with as a cold chill ran up his back only to stare into the dark and amused eyes of his teacher.

"Because my dear little cute student. We will be sparing on the land... only this time." Hayate drawled out with a strange smile. "I won't simply be using Kinjutsu to fight, I will be allowing the usage of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu as well."

Harry stared horrified. "That's cruel Hayate-sensei!"

"Quit complaining my young student and let's get training." Hayate grabbed Harry by the collar and began to drag him away leaving behind a bemused looking Anko and Iruka, they both watched the boy gawked at the sudden movement of his body yet did not protest at being dragged.

"Well I think that's everyone." Iruka murmured as he continued to look at the files and grinned sheepishly at his partner in crime. He noticed that his friend was wearing a thin frown gazing with an intense and displeased looking causing the man to shift into a bewildered position. "What?"

Anko stared at him. "What's wrong Iruka?"

"W-what? Huh? Nothing's wrong!" Iruka exclaimed trying to wrap his head around her words and was at a loss to why she would think something was amiss. Shaking his head and sending her a bemused, as he said."I don't know what you're talking about Anko, but I'm fine. Really!" Flashing her one of his trademark smiles.

"Don't lie to me Iruka." Was Anko's curt reply, which was normal for her yet this time it felt and sounded differently from her usual curtness.

Iruka's smile left his face. "Anko..."

"Listen to me Iruka," Anko began grabbing Iruka's hands, giving them a tight reassuring squeeze. "I know along with everyone else about how much you love Naruto, as a brother and possibly even a son. You feel threatened that now Minato is back, that you're going to be shoved to the side and ignored, forgotten. That's not going to happen, Iruka. Naruto loves you far too much to just forget you, you need to let go of his irrational anger and jealousy that's building inside of you. It's just... not you, Ruka." The sheer pleading tone doubled with the expression of depression on her face was very un-Anko like.

Iruka's mind was racing trying to figure out what his childhood friend was trying to tell him. He was totally at a loss. What the hell was she trying to say? he continued to look at her brown in order to find the answer only come up with nothing, a loud and heavy sigh escaped his lips as his search had ended up useless.

"Anko why don't you just tell me what you mean." Iruka requested tiredly.

Anko gave him a flat look and shook her head. "Honestly, all of you men are idiots!" The ire in her eyes caused him to flinch visibly only for it to soft. "I don't want to be the one to tell you, Iruka. I think that this is something that you need to figure out for yourself."

"A...Anko?" His tone was filled with worry and confusion as he looked into her eyes.

She gave a small smile as she walked past him. "Anyway, I'm heading back up to the castle to go and grab some Dango. Later!"

"A-Anko h-hey!" Watching as the Kunoichi vanished leaving Iruka standing there holding out his hands towards where she stood, he re-positioned himself and stared at his hands with a longing expression and directed his eyes to the sky.

"What was she talking about?"

* * *

"Professor Dumbledore we must do something! We cannot allow to continue hanging around with... with... these barbarians!" McGonagall hissed as her face twisted into disgust, as the words that left her mouth came off like vile and poison. The sheer loathing of the Shinobi was evident and understandable, not one of them were able to understand their way of life or the reasoning for doing so. As far as they were concerned, they were barbaric and cold-hearted killers through and through. The Scottish woman pressed her lips together placing a sheet of paper upon the desk. "While I am glad to see Mr. Potter starting to take courses and his education seriously, I refuse to allow him to use our ways in order to help these killers!"

Professor Sprout frowned looking at the Head of Gryffindor. "Now, now Minvera there's no need to quickly judge like that. After the two previous years, I cannot blame him for wanting to be able to defend himself and those around him. His heart is in the right place, you just need to have faith in him is all-"

"You mean like your Hufflepuff's faith during last year?" Sinistra questioned gaining a glare from the usually calm woman. The astronomy professor focused her attention upon the woman, unaffected by the glare; or she simply did not acknowledge it. "You know it's true, Pomona I'm sorry to say, But in all honestly, I am ashamed of Hufflepuff House and its actions due to last year! I am even further ashamed that you did nothing to step in and knock some sense into your students!"

Pomona spluttered. "T-that's none of your concern!"

A loud slamming of Sinistra's fist made everyone jump. "Don't you feed me such tripe, Pomona! Are you or are you not the Head of Hufflepuff? Either do your job or choose someone else!" The vehemence and annoyance in her tone earned her a flabbergasted look from the woman, only to focus her eyes upon her next victim. "Which brings me up to my next point! Professor Snape!" The greasy man blinked taken back by the normally silent woman. "You had better talk with your snakes if you wish for them to continue stay here. I have a feeling that if they provoke Mr. Potter wrongly, the repercussions will be dire."

Snape sneered at her. "I highly doubt that, that insufferable brat can't even excel in stirring?"

"Yet he seems to be excelling with these Shinobi." Professor Babbling commented quietly.

Flitwick nodded his head. "And whose to say that we can possible even stop the training nay, even prevent the students whom have earned Mr. Potter's wrath and Mr. Potter himself? We know next to nothing of the Shinobi kind!"

"I'll believe it when I see it!" Snape growled angrily crossing his arms like a spoiled child.

"We simply need to get back on the right track is all. That is all that we can do." Dumbledore remarked calmly waving his hand dismissively gaining the attention of the staff. "We cannot allow to stray from the path of light-"

"What tripe are your talking about, Headmaster?" Sinistra questioned coldly giving the man a look. "I see nothing but a boy trying to survive and grow in a different manner than the rest of us. He is, by no means, walking the path of dark!"

Dumbledore gave her a steel look, he had forgotten that Sinistra and Babbling were currently in the room. "If you will allow me to finish, Professor Sinistra, I would prefer to discuss this with Professor McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Snape. I'm sorry my dear, but I am afraid that I will have to ask you to leave."

"I see no reason to." Was her curt reply, giving the man a cold look. "Am I not one of his Professors as well? I am entitled to stay here as I please."

Babbling nodded her head silently agreeing with the other woman. "However... I wonder is there anything that the five of you are hiding from us?" A moment of frigid silence was all that she truly needed. A quick glance towards the African woman confirmed her beliefs.

"Did you not hear the Headmaster's request!" Snape snapped at them with venom. "Leave! This does not concern the likes of you?"

Sinistra sent him a cold look. "The _likes of you _I'm quite curious as to what you mean, Severus. Perhaps you would like to clarify?"

"Don't bother, Aurora. I see no reason for you to waste anymore words on him. C'mon, let us depart to classrooms and prepare for the first day." Babblings stated holding her wand tightly as she kept a close eye upon the furious man.

Sinistra smiled, a bit. "Yes, I suppose you are right. Professors... Headmaster Dumbledore," As she inclined her head before leaving the room with Babbling in toe, as the doors behind them shut. After several moments of silence it was Snape that spoke up.

"They are up to something Headmaster! We must do something about them, and quickly!"

Dumbledore gave the man a look. "And what would you have me do, Severus? Oblivate them? They have done no harm but express their opinions. I cannot fault them for that. As to your question, Minvera, I agree that we must do something in order to prevent Harry from descending into the dark clutches of these Shinobi."

"Why not pair him with someone from here?" Snape suggested with a cold smile on his face. "A love potion will do the trick. Maybe one of the Weasley spawn?" The man paused for a moment, looking devilishly for that moment. His cold smile seemed to have grown even colder. "Using a restraing spell would not be as effective as the Shinobi would investigate...perhaps we should...give Potter a reason to say, remain here in England? Hm?"

"Severus!" Flitick snapped at him. "I don't even want you to repeat that suggestion!"

Sprout wrinkled her nose. "That is just horrific what are you thinking!"

"I'm thinking of keeping our precious _golden boy _here." Snape sneered at the other two Heads. "Unless you have a better idea, I highly suggest that you speak up!" No words came from them, causing the greasy man to smirk in victory. "Just as I thought, you have no ideas."

Dumbledore frowned. "I do not condone such uses, Severus. However, I can see it benefiting us in the long run. We will save that for a possible solution, as a last resort. In the mean time, I want all four of your to discourage Harry from continuing his training and spending his time with these Shinobi. He is one of ours, not one of theirs. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Headmaster."

"Dismissed, please head to Great Hall for this morning's breakfast." Dumbledore stated waving his head as the four Heads left the room.

Flitwick frowned. "Is this truly a good idea? We have no rights to stop Harry from doing what he wants, he must learn to make his own mistakes and live his own life."

"Do you want him to become an insane killer?" Sprout questioned with a solemnly tone, shaking her head. "I don't agree with what we are doing, but he is the Headmaster thus we must obey him."

"I wouldn't to go as far as obeying the Headmaster as to saving from making a horrible and deadly mistake. It really is for his own good really." McGonagall commented with a firm nod. "He'll understand in the end, I am certain of it."

"And if he doesn't?" Flitwick asked dryly.

Snape sneered. "Who cares what the brat thinks! The only thing he should be thinking is trying to stop acting so arrogantly like his father!"

"Severus! That is incredibly childish of you!" McGonagall chided furiously glaring at them man with absolute disgust.

"No it's not!" Snape growled at her. "You are simply too blind to see it! Just like everyone else! Now if you'll excuse me, I must go and check upon my snakes." As he briskly bumped into Minvera and walked past her without apologizing and continued to arrogantly strut down the halls as if he owned the place. It was heavily ironic as he used to comment on how James Potter, and on a lesser note, Harry, himself, walked down the halls.

Pomona pressed her lips together. "I sincerely hope that Severus watches his tongue, I cannot see Mr. Potter being so lenient towards him if he is provoked."

"I wouldn't just fear for Severus, my dear Pomona." Flitwick added watching as the Head of Slytherin vanished from their sights. "But, I think we must fear for all of Slytherin House. A change has come to Hogwarts and whether it is for the good of the school, I cannot tell."

McGonagall struggled not to snort at that remark. While she saw Flitwick as an incredible intelligent man and a master duelist, the way he made that comment nearly made her gag. She did not see the coming of these Shinobi are a good omen, no, to her they were a threat to everything that they stood for. Just being near them made her shiver in fear, and frankly, she wanted them gone. Knowing Albus as she did, he had not even considered Harry taking an offer and joining the Shinobi, becoming one of them, as possibility. He had been wrong and now they were paying for it.

The mere idea of Harry even associating with these people was incomprehensible! Surely, Lily and James were both rolling in their graves! How could son of the two brightest and best students of Hogwarts willing turn towards the path of a killer? It made no sense to her at all! In fact, she was heavily certain that the Shinobi themselves manipulated Harry into it! She was certain of it. There couldn't be a more reasonable explanation.

She vowed silently that she would do everything within her power in order to help steer Harry to the path of the wizard and avoid such a catastrophe!

No matter what the cost may be!

* * *

It was morning like this that made Harry wonder what he did to deserve these beatings from Hayate-sensei. Each _spar _ended quickly and brutally, which, he supposed, wasn't necessarily a bad simply meant there was still a lot for him to learn and to train even harder, that was all! Still, as he rubbed his hand soothingly in order to ignore the pain in his hands. Did he have to hit so hard?

Thankfully, as he glanced toward the side watching carefully as Izumo and Kotetsu, both using henge in order to take a pre-teen form, interact and joke around with the Weasley Twins without failure or arousing any suspicions from the rest of the school. The friendship between the two sets would allow the atmosphere at Hogwarts would be normal, however, he managed to discover many weary looks being sent their way as Izumo and Kotetsu continued to hang around the Twins. He managed to chock back a snicker, he had the strangest feeling that the school wouldn't manage to survive if the four of them teamed up together. No matter how hilarious and funny it would be, Harry didn't think they would manage to pay off the damages to the school in just a year.

However, that wasn't the only thing that truly concerned Harry. Many people, Ron and Hermione included, were rather curious as to how he knew the new professors along with Izumo and Kotetsu. He had pulled an excuse out mentioning that he had stayed at Hogwarts for the remainder of the summer and managed to befriend them as he helped them improve their English and visa versa with his Japanese in order to overcome the language barrier between them.

He had the strangest feeling that neither Ron nor Hermione truly believed that. Harry knew he would have to cross that bridge soon or later, preferably later. Frankly, Harry didn't truly see how what he did during the summer and who he was with was any of their business. Since, he had never questioned them about what they did or who they were. By what right did they have to interrogate him? Granted, they had shared their summer experiences with him while he continued to remain shut about this, in retrospective it wasn't like he was allowed anyway.

Maybe he was being a bit too cynical and angsty.

"What the hell Hermione!" Ron exclaimed staring at the sheet of paper in her hands with a perplexed expression. "There's no way you can attend three classes at once! Not even you can pull it off."

Harry frowned leaning over and glanced at the sheet as his eyes skimmed through it and frowned thinner as her glanced up at her.

"Ron's right, Hermione, I think you should drop some courses." Harry stated calmly as he gazed at the bushy haired girl.

Hermione gave them both a flat glare. "Listen, I've already fixed with Professor McGonagall alright? There's nothing you need to worry about it. Speaking of which don't you have Divination today?"

"I do." Ron stated with a nod as he shoved a giant fork of bacon straight into his mouth and began to chew rather loudly.

Hermione looked at him with disgust. "Anyway Harry, I took your advice and dropped Divination like you said-"

Ron nearly spat out his food as he looked at his two friends, only to gap in horror. "W-why? Divination is supposed to be an easy course! I can't believe that you two dropped it!"

"Not everyone likes taking easy courses, Ron." Hermione stated with an edge of annoyance while sending him a pensive look. "I prefer to challenge myself."

"Why?" Ron stated with a strange look. "You're already the smartest girl in school I don't think there really is anything that can challenge you."

Hermione blinked at him and smiled a bit, shrugging. "Well I wouldn't say that Ron. There's so much out there that we don't know, and don't understand. And if I don't push myself or try new things, how else would I find out if it's challenging or not?"

Ron snorted. "Please, all you'll do is head to the library and figure it out. Just as you always do, and then tell us about it."

Whether Ron was being rude or not didn't really matter to him, but Harry had absolutely no intention in getting pulled into another fight. Grabbing his bag and swinging it over his shoulder, he watched both of his friend's faces turn red and the heat between the three of them rising. It was better to go now instead of later.

"I'm heading to the library." Harry said quickly before he added."I don't have a first class, so I figured I should be preparing for the rest of the day." Before either of them were able to get a complaint out he quickly made a mad dash towards the doors as he ignored the stares he knew were fixated upon him.

Not that it was anything unusual or anything. Ever since coming to Hogwarts he had been stared at constantly, at first it had been odd and extremely creepy but something he had been able to ignore and pretend that it was nothing. It hasn't a hard thing to do after all, growing up with the Dursleys, he had learned very early on how to ignore and block out things that were surrounding him, it had been what helped him easily adapt to the world known as Hogwarts.

It still didn't make everything better, however.

It wasn't that the Wizarding Community of Britain was a horrible place there were tons of things that were absolutely fascinating and overwhelmed him with complete awe. On the other hand, it still came with its main faults such as the bigotry and how backwatered the civilization is compared to the rest of the world. It was sickening and made him highly regret giving up his normal muggle education.

Thankfully, Iruka-sensei made the effort in order to correct that. Painfully.

Harry didn't know how to repay Iruka and the others for everything that they were doing for him, and was struggling to figure out what to do. His loyalty to them were necessary, but he was at a loss of what else to do for them other than gather as much information as possible about the Britian Wizarding Community as much as possible, and the rest of the world's magicial communities in case of emergencies or inconsistencies that need clarifying.

Though to say it was simply for the others would be a downright lie, since Harry himself also wished to brush up on his knowledge about the world... and about his family.

He knew very little about his parents other than his father excelled in Transfiguration and was the Chaser of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team back in his day, while his mother had green eyes. He felt completely ashamed of himself for not trying to learn more about them, and felt a twist of disgust in his stomach for not doing so sooner. Perhaps the reason he hadn't gone to seek information about his parents was due to the fear of upsetting those that had lost them, or maybe it was his own fear that prevented him from looking deep enough. Though where could he start? he would have to find some kind of Graduation picture of the Gryffindor class when he decided.

He assumed that Hogwarts: A History would have the location of the registration of each House during the years, there was also the trophy room, even though Harry admitted that seemed like a long shot he was willing to do anything to find out whatever he could about his parents. No matter the cost. Call it childish selfishness or even obsession, Harry thought he had a personal right to know more about the two whom gave him life, if that was selfish then fine. He was selfish and damn proud of it.

There was also another reason for why Harry was desperately searching for information about his parents... when he had became a Shinobi of Konoha, Harry was fully aware of the fact that it was only a matter of time before he left Britain. All together as he thought on his knowledge and experience of the wizarding community, Harry believed he wouldn't miss much at all. But he felt that there was still many things for him to discover before leaving, it was if something was tugging at the very back of his head.

Harry gripped his head. "Maybe I'm finally losing it."

"Losing what Mr. Potter?" A brisk voice caught Harry off guard as he turned around and came face to face with McGonagall, whom stood eyeing him with her normal stern look. There was tension between the two of them as neither one relented to speak and continued to gaze at one another, seemingly waiting for something to happen. The Scottish woman continued to hold her eyes on him as she inclined her head with a inquisitive gleam.

"It's nothing professor, I've just been thinking is all." Harry replied as politely as possible.

McGonagall pressed her lips together firmly. "I highly doubt that Mr. Potter, now tell me what exactly is on your mind."

"It's just... I've been thinking about my parents, and I've been wondering what sort of people they were and what they did." Harry answered truthfully not bothering to lie or sugar coat anything. "I don't really know much beyond the fact that Dad was a chaser and Mom had green eyes and was brilliant with Charms. I mean, yeah it's something, but I don't know about them as a whole. I want to at least try to find out more about them and what they did. It's just... I'm at a loss of what to do or whom to contact..."

The sound of footsteps knocking on the ground caught his attention as McGonagall had sharply turned around and began to walk in the opposition direction leaving him standing in the middle of the hallway watching as she strode down, only for her to turn her head and stare at him.

"If you wish to find out more, Mr. Potter than I highly suggest you go and meet with Professor Lupin." McGonagall stated with a faint smile. "After all, he was a friend of your parents."

* * *

Chapter end.

I want to apologize for the long wait for this chapter, however, my family and I are currently going through a very difficult time in our lives. My mother passed away back in November due to lung cancer, it has been a hard and long road for us now and in the future. My mother always encouraged my fanfiction writing, which is why I continue to write even now. So please understand that future updates may come out slower.


	8. Beneath

Chapter 8: Beneath

"Preparing for our first lesson?"

Iruka leaned backwards to see Genma smiling from behind him and waved. The brunet man re-adjusted himself, turning the chair around to face the Tokubetsu. The files and papers laid upon the desk categorized for each year marked specifically with their house, strengths and abilities. He had managed to charm his way through Madam Pince's defences in order to get his hands on them. Being an instructor at the Academy Iruka was required to prepare lessons for each year and student, however, he had the advantage due to knowing the students and having been with them for long periods of time. Which lead to the difficulty of these student; he didn't know any of them with the exception of Harry. Placing them on teams of three wasn't entirely difficult. He had personally built the teams during the summer whenever he got a chance, of course, after going through the records from the library and the staff lounge.

Still, double-checking was his friend.

"Just going through everything," Iruka answered, smiled weakly at the older man.

Genma chuckled. "If you needed help, you could have asked."

"Didn't want to bore you guys with it," The Chuunin stated and shrugged. "It seems that our first lesson will be with the seventh years," already young adults with no training. It wasn't too late for them to learn Chakra since they were young, however he would wait to see. He wouldn't risk the lives of civilians.

"What house-"

"All of them." Iruka cut in coldly. His face was stoic. "I refuse to allow this... idiotic house system to be in this classroom."

Genma nodded solmenly. "What do you have planned?"

"Mixing them with students of different houses-"

"Skipping the written and practical tests?"

Iruka snorted. "I never said that."

"I'm just teasing, 'ruka-chan," Genma teased happily walking past the man and slide on the table. His demeanor changed seriously. "So what are we going to be doing about the munchkins and Mi-I mean, Yondaime-sama?"

Iruka ignored the boiling jealousy inside of him and sighed deeply. "I've thought about it. They can't stay, you know it and so do I. They've completely their mission to deliver us Yakumo and Yuushi, allowing them to stay any longer could be dangerous and borderline insubordination. However, with the state that Naruto is in, he'll need time to heal before we can send him back. And if we send the rest of his team bar him that will raise unnecessary questions."

"I agree, waiting for Naruto to make a full recovery would be ideal. Strange, though," The Tokubetsu began frowned. "Why isn't Kyuubi doing anything? From the intel I managed to gather, Naruto's accelerated healing should have sped up the recovery."

"The damage done to him must have been even worse than we knew for him to still be weak. The wards surrounding the school must have interacted with the seal, which explains Yondaime-sama's appearance," Iruka mused eyes glazing over. "Seals are complicated and not so easily understood. Which is why there are very few seal masters in the world and why they are in high regard, having a seal master apart of a village is a tremendous feat. Especially after the destruction of Uzushirogakure," Pushing back the urge to flinch. His parents had been refugees from Usuzhirogakure, not that anyone knew of it. His family had joined Konoha sometime after the great devastation of their home, at least that's what he was always told. He was far too young to remember.

It was widely believed by the people that those of Ushirogakure had red hair. It wasn't entirely wrong, but it wasn't entirely true either. The more prominent and most respected clan members of the Uzumaki clan had red hair, with relatives had different shades of hair color. Iruka gained his brunet hair and tanned skin from his father's side of the family.

Unfortunately, Danzou and the rest of the Village Elders refused to believe him to be an Uzumaki by blood and denied any and all attempts of him getting custody over Naruto. Iruka knew that his lack of proof hadn`t been entirely true, they far too deep into their insecurities to allow Naruto to grow in strength and power fearing that he may one day turn against Konoha in vengeance. Not that Iruka could blame the kid, since Naruto was poorly mistreated by villager and Shinobi alike; ignoring him, higher prices, throwing him out of buildings, and insulting him on a daily basis.

He had suspicious that the treatment had gone far deeper than what he had seen and what Naruto had told him. His job at the Academy and at the mission desk made it nearly impossible for him to investiage on his own time, instead it allowed him to observe and keep on eye on him instead. It wasn`t the best alternative, but it could have been worse.

Iruka rubbed his temples. "The only thing I can think of doing is just make sure that Naruto is alright, checking on him whenever we get the chance."

"And Yondaime-sama?" Genma asked, leering at him curiously.

"What about him?" the man sounded a bit lost.

"Iruka, you don't have to hide it from me. You're jealous that he's Naruto's biological father and he's taking attention away from you, and you're pissed off that he placed Kyuubi in his own child," The older Shinobi began in a lecturing tone and gave him a knowing look. "Hell, I'm a bit jealous of him. I'm afraid that Raidou will...that he'll..." trailing off and gritted his teeth angrily.

"That he'll steal Raidou away from you," Iruka continued.

The Tokubestu Jounin sighed. "I'm pathetic aren't I?"

"No..." Shaking his head and gave the man a sincere look. "I know what you're going through, Genma. There's no shame in what you're feeling."

"I figured you would," Genma stated not unkindly.

Iruka wasn't fazed. "I'm here for you, Genma. If you ever need to talk."

"I know," the man nodded gratefully. "Well, I'd better go and find Izumo and Kotetsu. Hopefully they gather some interesting info, later!" Removing himself off of the desk, and waved lazily disappearing in view leaving the Chuunin alone in the room.

Iruka remained silently as the door.

"...Why do I have a feeling I'm going to regret letting them go undercover?"

* * *

Minato was quite amused.

"G-g-ghost!" Naruto was clinging onto Minato fearfully staring at the bored looking woman, as he pointed at her shaking unable to tear his gaze away from the ghost. "D-Dad! T-There's a ghost!"

The older man chuckled. "I can see her fine, Naruto."

"WHY IS THERE A GHOST HERE?" Naruto screamed loudly, pulling closer into Minato's chest and keeping his frightened eyes on the person.

The female ghost was obviously from an important family, judging by her physical appearance as she was gowned with a beautiful dress that brimmed elegantly with silver dangling along with bronze. The dress as a whole was light blue, feeling more of a background color rather than the main. Either way, she was very beautiful, with her long hair towards her waist and there proud stance she had while gazing at them with a calm expression. However, her eyes expressed boredom and annoyance.

She was the loner type and hated attention being drawn to her by any of the castles living denziens.

"This is a school for magics. A place where those with the ability come and gather in order to learn to control their powers," The ghost answered calmly, looking strict and professional. It made Minato wonder if she had been a teacher in the past. "The spirits which reside here do so to help future generations and guide them to the right direction. We also aid the staff and the headmaster when there are problems to deal with," she blinked slowly. "How strange is it that you are here," the ghost nodded towards Minato.

The former Hokage raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yes. You feel similar to the rest of us, yet solid and human." She added calmly, a gleam of curiosity flashed within her faded eyes. Turning her back towards the two, the woman began to float away before pausing, sparing them a glance. "I will continue to watch you, men of the wind."

Minato chuckled as the ghost vanished through a wall. Hogwarts was starting to become more interesting with each passing moment.

"Men of the wind?" His son frowned perplexed by the sentence. "What did she mean by that?"

"She's probably referring to our Chakra natures or my family name" Minato informed his son, ruffling Naruto's hair fondly. His hand stopped as he saw the confused and weird look from his son, prompting him to pull away and stare back. "You do know what I'm talking about, don't you Naruto?"

His son shook his head. "No, I don't. Should I?"

"That should have been one of the first things you learned as a genin. After chakra control, of course." Minato began feeling irritation beginning to grow. "Can you tell me what you know so far?"

Naruto flushed. "Well I know the Taijutsu we did this morning, Shadow Clones, Replacement, and the Transformation technique. Oh! And the Tree Walking exercise!"

"That's it?" Minato questioned incredulously.

"W...well..." Naruto looked uncomfortable, struggling to meet with his dad's gaze. "Yeah... We just completed our first C-Rank mission to Wave before I was sent here. And, Kakashi-sensei just shows up three hours late and has us do a mission before calling it a day, and then dismisses us so we don't have a lot of time to learn stuff."

Minato's lips pressed together. "And training?"

"He takes Sasuke for training, and sends Sakura and I off to do other things," Naruto shrugged. "like paper work, and then dismisses us for again."

The former Kage gritted his teeth together. "Hasn't he taught you anything?"

"Just tree walking," Naruto answered. "When I told him of the mission here, he just nodded and left with Sasuke. I don't know what he said to Sakura though." Not that Kakashi-sensei really talked much to him and Sakura anyway, focusing on the bastard instead of the three of them together.

Oddly enough, it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would have. Probably because Naruto never felt that Team 7 was an actual team at all, just three kids that were forced to deal with one another and an incompetent teacher as an added bonus. The three of them could barely stand one another's presence, missions were the only time when they buckled down and allowed themselves to work together. And that was due to having a common goal. Other than that any other time they were together, it was a complete and utter disaster waiting to happen. Sakura was too busy trying to gain Sasuke's attention, causing her IQ to drop a thousand points and taking out her frustrations out on him, Sasuke was a stick in the mud and sneered at them at every turn or ignored him depending on his day, and him well...

Naruto was fully aware that he wasn't exactly... socially the best person in the world. He was trying to be as nice as possible. There were times where his anger did get the best of him usually around Sasuke, causing him to get reprimanded painfully by Sakura and Kakashi-ensei. While the bastard could seemingly do no wrong.

He was used to it though. No one other than the Hokage, Konohamaru, Iruka-sensei and his few friends from the academy seemed to actually give a damn about him. Well... until now, glancing up at his father, looking rather scary and murmuring incoherent things under his breath.

Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage, his father and the man who had cursed him all in one.

When he had woken up in the infirmary and came face to face with the Yondaime, to say that he was shocked was an understatement. His hero and the one responsible for sealing the damned fox inside of him had been sitting beside him, gazing fondly and calling him son.

Naruto had desperately wanted to scream at him. To yell at him and tell him the hell he had been forced to endure because of him. But he didn't. He had no energy. The only thing he could do was cry and cry, endless streams of tears as Minato held him tightly, gently rubbing his back and whispering reassuring words into his ear. Neither of them wanted to let go of the other.

It wasn't the best start to a relationship, but, it was a beginning he hadn't had before and good or bad he'd take it. And that was enough for him right now.

"Naruto, I'm going to make several scrolls for you." Minato's voice interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back to reality. His father wore a passive look and a bright smile. "And I'll get you started on a proper training routine before you leave for Konoha, I don't want to leave you unprepared and vulnerable."

Naruto flushed with happiness. "T-Thanks Dad," it felt strange having someone else be concerned about him so openly.

"You don't have to thank me, son." Minato stopped and turned around, kneeling as he did so before placing his hands upon his shoulders. The bright smile softened into a look of fatherly affection and his eyes gleamed warmly. "I'm your father, Naruto. I would do anything and everything in order to keep you safe. I've already lost Kushina, I'm not going to risk losing you as well."

"D...Dad..." Naruto's voice trailed off.

Minato got up from the ground and ruffled his hair again, grinning widely. "How about we go to the kitchen and get some food?" Rubbing his hands together, and licked his lips. "It's been far too long since I've had ramen. I've been craving it!"

"You like ramen?" Naruto asked surprised.

Minato grinned. "It's my favorite food! I use to eat it all the time when I was younger!"

"Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning ear to ear.

"I remember your mother getting annoyed whenever I left ramen packets all over the house," Minato mused cheerfully recalling days when Kushina would visit his office, bringing the empty ramen packets with her just to throw them at him. Sometimes he did it on purpose in order to have her come into his office, just to so he could see her earlier on in the day.

"I bet she loved that!" Naruto said, chuckling.

Minato snorted. "Not really no, you're mother was as a ramen fanatic as we are."

"What was Mom like?"

Minato glanced at Naruto, seeing the large blue eyes glimmering curiously. "Well, Kushina was a one of a kind woman, Naruto. She was proud, loud and strong. She gained the nickname Habanero, because of her red hair and short temper." He chuckled. "She beat up all of the boys that made fun of her."

"Mom was made fun of?" Naruto asked.

"Only because she wanted to be the first female Hokage," Minato said, frowning. His eyes glanced back at Naruto. "Gender doesn't matter in this world, Naruto. No matter who tells you other wise. I hope you understand that."

Naruto blinked. "I don't really get it, but alright."

"Some people believe that women are inferior to men," Minato elaborated. "Which is why your mother had was targeted for bullies, then again, children are always cruel."

"...Yeah..."

Minato decided not to comment on the tone his son used. He was fully aware of what exactly happened to Naruto, needless to say he was less than impressed with Sarutobi, Kakashi, Jiraiya and Konoha as a whole. He had gambled on his belief for the village, that his son would be hailed as a hero and protect from his enemies. Only his second wish managed to be up held and honor, and the first wish was ignored. He and Kushina had witnessed all of this deep within the seal, the pain and loneliness their son had experienced over the years; friendless and never knowing love.

It angered him that Kakashi and Jiraiya never paid Naruto a visit. And when Kakashi was assigned to be his son's jounin instructor, his and Kushina's anger increased full force upon the dismissive attitude he was presenting towards their son, and how snobbish he acted.

When Minato was alive, he had wondered if Kakashi had become arrogant upon receiving the Sharingan from Obito. Seeing how ruthlessly Kakashi had trained afterwards, he dismissed the idea and left the boy alone. He didn't rule out the idea of his death pushing Kakashi over the edge and refusing to acknowledge Naruto, then again, from what he had seen in the seal and what Naruto told him, Kakashi was spending far too much time with the unstable Uchiha boy; Sasuke.

He had never gotten to know Sasuke, only ever having Obito as his team member and meeting Itachi due to Mikoto being his former teammate. Beyond those three, Minato held nothing but distrust towards the other members of the Uchiha clan. They were never to be trusted. The Uchiha clan was far too warped and twisted to simply be left alone, it made things worse with Fugaku's hatred towards Kushina and himself; taking the Hokage spot from another Uchiha candidate. Minato wasn't stupid; he knew that an Uchiha would never become Hokage or have any major power over Konoha bar the Military Police force with good reason. The clan was always too power hungry and self-interested like Uchiha Madara before them.

It didn't help that the Uchiha, once again bar the three, seemed to hold a strange obsession with him and his family. Stalking and following him around like lost puppies. At first it was amusing before it became creepier as the obsession grew, members of the clan acting out violently towards him.

Crazy bastards.

"Dad the kitchens!" Naruto cheered. Shaking his mind free from his thought, Minato looked up as the father and son approached the painting the kitchens were hidden behind.

Minato chuckled at the enthusiasm. "I can see that," he replied happily as they entered the room and revealed strange creatures bustling around. Each of them had dark green skin, pointy ears and large eyes. They wore only a small article of clothing that concealed their upper and lower bodies. "What in the world?"

"Hello sirs," A small dangly thing made it's way up to them. "How may Dobby help you?"

"What are you?" Naruto asked abruptly.

Minato sent him a look. "Naruto. That was rude." He chided him gently, before returning his attention on the small creature. "Though, I am curious as well. I've never seen your kind before."

"I, sirs, am a house-elf. House-elves work in the kitchen and clean the castles," Dobby explained to them, not surprised by their lack of knowledge. "Would sirs care for a snack?"

"Do you know how to make ramen?" Minato asked politely.

Dobby blinked slowly. "What is ramen?"

The two frozen in unison staring in absolute horror, neither of them moved for what seemed like an eternity.

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT RAMEN IS!"

* * *

Harry proceeded to walk absently down the halls of the castle. He ignored the stares and murmurs that spilleded from the mouths of the student body, blending himself into the swarms of the crowd just so he would be able to avoid Ron and Hermione. He was not in the greatest of moods and their constant arguing wouldn't do anything for it; his mind and emotions felt like a whirlwind. Unsure and uncertain of what to do, he needed space to think and pull himself together.

Remus Lupin, the same Professor that had been called to Hogwarts during the summer had been a friend of his parents. And yet, he had not said nor approached Harry during his training over the weeks they spent in the same place, and in fact did everything in his power to avoid him for long periods of time. Harry did not feel any emotional attachment to the man or the need to seek him out, however, he was also the only one that knew his parents. He wondered if he blamed Harry for the death of his friends or if it was because he waiting for him to make the first move. Harry wasn't sure. And frankly, he found it rather hard to give a rat's ass about it.

In fact, Harry found it difficult to care at all really. What obligation did he have to seek the man out and vice versa?

He was starting to over think the situation. Thankfully, he had a free period before lunch, and if luck was still on his side perhaps Hayate-sensei was around. Harry really needed to let off some steam.

"Now if I was Hayate-sensei, where exactly would I be?" Harry thought to himself. "Hiding from Madam Pomfery definitely, and Professor Sprout as well." The two women had decided that Hayate-sensei wasn't bothering to take care of himself and started attempting to smother him with as much motherly affection as possible. Or, in Madam Pomfery's case, trap him in the infirmary until he was fully healed.

His sensei had become so frightened that whenever someone even mentioned the infirmary, his head would snap around the room looking for any and all exits. He wasn't even bothering to be subtle about it anymore.

"Harry-kun!" Harry stopped and turned to see Yakumo and Yuushi, both them smiling as they made their way over. "How was your class?"

"Alright, McGonagall said the same speech she does every year," Harry answered, shrugging. "Other than that, nothing much happened."

"I remember those days!" Yuushi chuckled, grinning as he folded his arms behind him. "I usually fell asleep whenever one of the academy teachers sprouted their welcoming speeches, it was annoying as hell. Ah, well could be worse, right kid?"

"Not a kid," Harry murmured.

Yuushi continued to grin, only for it to fade. "Are you certain that you want to continue doing this?"

"Yuushi?" Yakumo looked at the older teen.

Harry blinked in confusion.

"You're not happy." Yuushi clarified seriously. "I can tell it, Yakumo can tell it. We all can. Don't bother trying to hide it, you're obviously not happy here."

It was painfully obvious that Hogwarts was the very last place that Harry wanted to be. He had watched Harry on the sidelines as he talked with the ginger and the bushy haired girl, there was only discomfort and annoyance from what he had seen in their interaction, and the way the students talked about him must be annoying. Like vultures looking for their next meal.

Yakumo jabbed him in the stomach harshly, giving him a look. "Yuushi! Too blunt!"

"Ow!" Yuushi rubbed his stomach, glaring at her. "You jab really hard!"

"You deserve it," The redhead retorted with a sigh.

"I can hear you two. Just so you know," Harry piped up, bemused.

Yakumo and Yuushi quickly exchanged a sheepish look.

"I don't know how I feel about being here," He continued truthfully. "But at the moment, I do feel a need to spar. You up for it?"

Yuushi's expression changed, becoming cocky. "Now you're speaking my language. Out in the field?"

"We're to remain inconspicuous, remember?" Yakumo spoke up. "Somewhere secure and that no one can see us."

"There's the room of requirement," Harry suggested.

The older teen shook his head. "No can do, Raidou is using it. He's been in there for a while, now that I think about it."

"He's probably just training is all, since he doesn't have much to do." Harry stated. "Iruka-sensei is teaching first, then next is Genma-sensei. I think Anko-sensei and Hayate-sensei are going to be doing a joint class together."

The three shuddered, as a cold chill ran up their spines. Just hearing their name in the same sentence was enough to make them fearful. Despite being a gentle and calm man, when Hayate was teaching he became as sadistic as Anko, especially when they paired together.

"I almost feel sorry for those brats," Yuushi choked out, still shivering.

Yakumo squeaked. "W-well hopefully they won't be too hard on the students..."

"Doubtful," Harry told her.

"Back on topic," Yuushi cut in before Yakumo could retort. "Where can we go to train? I'm itching for a spar."

Harry's mind raced. "Well, the only place that I can think of that would be big enough is..." His voice trailed off, looking grim.

"Yes?" Yuushi prompted.

"The Chamber of Secrets," Harry answered, arms folded on his chest.

Going back inside of the chamber was one of the very last things that he wanted to do, even if the area proved to be secure and hidden from the eyes of the public. Harry wasn't entirely sure of the stability of the caverns underneath the school and taking in consideration their strengths and the damage that could be inflicted could result in much more inner damage than Harry was comfortable with. Obviously, if the damage was felt and traced back to them Dumbledore would make an attempt to force them to pay for the damage, and if they were unable, try to convince them to exchange for Harry. It wasn't below the old man's style, and he had no intention of returning to be his lapdog or to the Dursleys.

The trust that Harry once had in Dumbledore had been broken upon the man's consistent badgering and ploys to return him to the "proper wizarding ways" as he had so eloquently put it. The old man had the nerve to use that condescending grandfatherly gaze, trying to guilt trip him back onto his side. Thankfully, after being taught by Anko and the others he was able to read and counter Dumbledore's words with his own, leaving the man confused and helpless as he walked away.

Confronting the old man head on would be suicidal; his lack of training and power would have left him beaten within seconds. Knowledge was power, and Dumbledore was very knowledgeable. Despite not having interacted with Shinobi, the man most likely was prepared for combat if it ever came to it.

It hadn't taken Harry very long to see how lowly the Shinobi thought of normal wizards and how wizards considered the Shinobi. That was a fair observation; wizards were very much like civilians with chakra; they used it for fancy tricks but couldn't do much more than that. Both sides underestimated the other side, he had been the exception for the people from Konoha. They had seen something in him that Harry never considered. They... they had given him a choice. A purpose, one of his own free will while the magical community of Britian had not. His loyalty had shifted completely, the history he had been told about the Elemental Countries hadn't bothered him and the low life expectancy of a Shinobi hadn't either.

His thoughts turned to Anko-sensei's old teacher; Orochimaru. The traitorous snake sannin, a legendary figure turned rogue after losing out on the position of Hokage and experimenting on young children in order to gain their abilities and attempt to extend his life. The parallels frightened Harry and irritated him as well. Was there one snake-like bastard for every continent or something; was it a rule in the grand scheme of the universe? Honestly, it felt like one huge galactic joke.

However, the threat of the snake sannin was very real and dangerous. Especially since he had vanished off the face of the planet several years ago, it hadn't helped that Voldemort himself had also dropped out of sight after his first year. The probability of them teaming up and working alongside each other was unlikely; unfortunately life had taught Harry to expect the unexpected. From what he learned from Anko Orochimaru was a very intelligent and manipulative man, willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals viewing others as mere pawns to be sacrificed without remorse or regret. Voldemort was the same, only his narrow-minded nature and quick temper was easily played against him. If the other ever learned of each other the temptation of the other's ability could be disastrous.

That was the last thing the world needed. Two immortal snake psychopaths running around freely, his skin crawled in disgust.

"Harry? Hello," Yuushi's voice snapped him back to reality. The taller boy waved his hand in front of his eyes. "You there? Earth to Harry, you alive?"

Harry shook his head. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"Well..." Yakumo began, biting down on her lip. Her eyes gleamed with concern, slowly nodded her head. "If you were just thinking..." Her voice trailed off before closing the hesitated expression. "You said something about the Chamber of Secrets, what is it?"

"And where is it?" Yuushi added, gruffly. His eyes twitched as a pair of girls leered at him, giggling loudly as they passed them. "Can we make a move on? These girls are really starting to creep me out," Growing up in Konoha many Shinobi learned at young ages the dangers of fangirls. His body shivered. "Please?"

Harry's lips twitched. "Not a fan of girls?"

"Fangirls," The older teen hissed under his breath, his eyes rapidly glancing to the side. "They are pure evil!"

The dark haired boy raised an eyebrow, pointing to Yuushi. "Err... Yakumo?"

"A plague within the Shinobi community is the male student, that every girl seems to adore and swoon over before officially becoming Genin," The redhead answered with a sigh. "Even I recall the rookie of the year back when I was in the academy. Girls can be scary, and that's coming from one." The girls that she had in her class acted like ditz and morons, lacking in their training and concentrating on cheering on the Rookie like a horde of mindless zombies. Whenever someone spoke out against him, they were instantly assaulted. Yakumo was ever so grateful to be blessed with a brain and common sense.

"Scary," Harry commented not unkindly recalling his first year as many girls, from all ages, would follow him around like lost puppies. It freaked him out in the beginning, but eventually grew use to it or rather, he ignored it and pretending everything was fine.

"Indeed," Yakumo replied.

Deciding to take pity on the older teen, Harry gestured forward. "C'mon I'll take you to where the chamber is, but keep in mind that you may not like it." He turned sharply and missed the bewildered expressions of his team mates.

Neither of them would be happy to discover that it was located in the girl's bathroom. and was haunted by a ghost, Moaning Myrtle. Harry only hoped that she wouldn't tell anyone about their visit to the chamber since the ghost was infamous for gossip yet oddly kept quiet about the adventure from the previous year.

Had Myrtle suspected that there had been something in the bathroom? If so why hadn't she told anyone? Regardless, Harry wanted to talk to her before opening the chamber. An idea appeared in his head, she of all people deserved to know what killed her and what once laid underneath the school, an exchange of knowledge should be enough to keep her mouth from spreading anything. Not that Harry doubted the girl or anything, but secrecy was of the utmost importance to them.

Plus, he wanted to get to know Yuushi and Yakumo better. Neither of them knew a lot about one another, he only knew that Yakumo had a talent for Genjutsu and Yuushi held a preference for weapons. Harry wanted to at least try to make friends with them, even if he failed to do so.

When Yuushi expressed his concern over his dislike of Hogwarts he knew that it was the first step to building a friendship, though it was rather abrupt and came from nowhere. Harry appreciated the older teen's sentiment.

"So how long have you been a wizard, Harry-kun?" Yakumo asked, curiously.

Harry blinked. "I've been a wizard my entire life, I didn't even realize I had magic until my eleventh birthday. Trust me when I say that was one of the biggest shocks of my life," he said chuckling and smiled as Yakumo giggled.

Yuushi didn't laugh. "How didn't you know? From the information I gathered you are this so-called 'Boy-who-lived' right?" The sarcastic tone did not go unnoticed, as he made a face. "Man, these wizards like hyphens don't they?"

"They do like hyphens," Harry agreed dryly, and shrugged. "Don't know why, but they do and as for your question... I grew up with my relatives, my aunt didn't particularly like my mother and-"

"Was a jealous bitch?" Yuushi added innocently.

Yakumo shot him a look. "Yuushi!"

"No, that's pretty accurate." Harry mused thoughtfully; know that he was able to think about it. Whenever his mother had been brought up in conversation the amount of venom and anger from his aunt's voice could be heard from a mile away, until now he never thought about it. But, it explained a whole lot and her bizarre desire for a life of normalcy. Harry frowned up at the older teen. "Didn't you know that though, I mean you already know of my _title,_" nearly spitting it out with disgust.

Yuushi simply smiled. "Just want to make sure my information was correct is all!"

"Of course," Harry rolled his eyes at the older teen as they approached the second floor and headed down the hall, making a sharp right turn. "We're almost near where the Chamber's entrance is, just... trust me alright?"

Yuushi and Yakumo exchanged a curious look as they walkeded behind Harry silently as they managed to came a rather large door, water flooding out underneath and spreading across the floor. Calmly, Harry pushed open the door and went through.

"Myrtle?" He called out slowly, waving for the other two to follow after him. "Are you in here?"

Yakumo's jaw dropped, before clenching it tightly. "A girl's bathroom, WHY are we in the girl's bathroom? If you were so curious you could have-" She was about to continue, stopping when Harry held up his hand. Blinking, she watched as he carefully observed the room.

"Myrtle?" He repeated more gently, slowly lowering his guard. "It's Harry! I want to talk to you!"

The moment those words left his mouth, a gust of wind blew against the three nearly pushing them back a few feet as a young girl appeared. Her body was transparent and hovered above the ground the pouty look on her pale face turning red with pleasure. It was evident as she wrestled with the smile that was threatening to blossom on her face, and the way her body twisted back and forth in a shy manner.

"Hello Harry," A small giggle came from her voice. "What can I do for you?"

Harry stepped forward. "Myrtle, I'm going into the Chamber of Secrets." Taking a deep breath at the shocked look he continued. "I wanted to know if you'd like to come with us, you of all people deserve to know what was attacking the school-what attacked you and the other students." He watched Myrtle carefully, amused at her sudden loss of speech. The ghost opened and closed her jaw several times, completely at a loss from his words. "Well, do you want to come?"

The ghost remained stunned. "I-I'd...why?" Her voice became small and tiny, sounding like a child rather than a decade old ghost.

"Because, you deserve to know," Harry answered with a partial truth.

"...Thank you," She whispered quietly as she flew over to his side.

Yakumo and Yuushi were confused as Harry moved over towards the sink, placing both hands onto the sides watching as he took a deep breath before closing his eyes. After several moments in silence, his eyes open in a trance like stare and opened his mouth.

"_Open,_" Harry commanded in parseltongue, and stepped away from the sink as it transformed into the entrance to the chamber, revealing a door. Looking over at the two he had to fight not to laugh at the frightened stares. "Are you guys going to stay there or you coming along?"

"What the hell was that?" Yuushi was the first to snap out of it, pointing at Harry.

Harry looked at him. "It's called Parseltongue, the language of the snakes. Apparently, I stole the ability from Riddle when he attempted to kill me that Halloween night," shrugging his shoulders disinterestedly. "It may not be the most pleasant skill to have around, but I'm glad to have it when I do need it. Now are you two coming or you going to stand there all day?" He leaned against the wall, raising an eyebrow at them in a challenging manner and waved his hand. "I could go by myself you know."

"In your dreams, kid!" Yuushi flexed his arm muscles reflexively and joined, quietly behind them came Yakumo. He frowned as he touched the wall, glancing down at him. "So how does this close exactly-"

"And we have to side down that?" The girl's face screwed up in disgust.

The older teen rolled his eyes. "No one ever said being a Shinobi was all cookies and rainbows, Yakumo!" He let out a painful yelp when the girl jab him in the ribs again, rubbing the spot Yuushi shot her a pitiful glare.

"Well, it just closes. I think," Harry murmured. "I used parseltongue to open so I should also able to close it, logically. So, shall we then?"

Yuushi grinned, rubbing his hands together mischievously. "Don't mind if I do, Geronimo!" Making the first move to dive down the slide, his excited yell echoed back to their level as Yakumo and Harry exchanged bemused glances.

"I'll go next then," The girl began, swallowing fearfully. "Y-You'll come right behind me, right?"

"Let's go together instead," Harry offered.

Yakumo smiled gratefully as she and Harry held hands. Myrtle flew beside them, oddly silent- she didn't say a word as the three slid down the slide travelling quickly down below the school just as Harry had done back in June. And just as Harry remembered, the three eventually came to the same area he and Ron had been. The difference was the rocks that had fallen from the ceiling after Lockhart's failure of a spell backfired on him, nearly caving in the entire tunnel because of it. It was only luck that it hadn't.

Yuushi was waiting for them, attempting to see within the pitch darkness of the tunnel only for Harry to whip out the _lumos _charm and proceeded to guide them towards their destination. The slime and dampness of the tunnel hadn't changed, remaining desolate and cold with water dripping from above. He ignored the incredulous stares when they had come across the shedded skin of the basilisk, surprised that it hadn't completely eroded and decomposed. He assumed that the magics within the skin were what preserved it and it was a good sign that the body would still be well preserved inside the main chamber.

He continued to guide the group towards where the entrance was, unfortunately blocked off by the rocks.

"We need to move these before we can continue onward," Harry explained, instinctively pulling out his wand before pausing. It was a habit he was trying to kick, and while levitating the rocks would make the job easier it wouldn't do any good for them physically. "Yuushi and I will move the rocks." He glanced at the two girls. "I need the both of you to keep an eye on what we're doing, I don't want to accidentally kill us in the process."

Yakumo and Myrtle were obviously not pleased by it, a quick flash of annoyance and fear skimmed across their faces before following through with the request as the two males went to work. Thankfully, the rocks covering the way were not heavy or too large to move, being far tedious and long even with the quick rate that they were going at having to stop and help the other whenever they had discovered a huge boulder that was too heavy to move.

Harry's taijutsu training helped him developed the necessary strength that was required and even surprisingly discovered his, super strength, for a lack of a better term that had reminded the Jounin team or really Raidou of Lady Tsunade's strength only underdeveloped and needing much polishing. There had been days where he crushed his own hand or injured his arm when attempting to re-use the technique during training, due to contrary belief it was very difficult to pull off and use constantly.

However, he was grateful to see his training had paid off as he and Yuushi had successfully removed the final rock paving the way to the entrance of the chamber. The two grinned at each other and moved towards it oblivious to the sighs from the girls as they exchanged a knowing look. It was short lived as the sounds of moving gears snapped them back to attention and went to catch up with the boys, heading past the door after the two males staring at the chamber in awe. The entire interior design had a monument at the very front, a large face had been carved in the stone in a similar fashion that the Hokages' faces were made on the mountains.

Pools of water were littered along the sides as liquid dripped slowly from the distant ceiling, however the three ninja and ghost barely noticed, their eyes landing upon the giant serpent that laid in front of the statue unmoving. The stains of red remained near it's face, the snake appearing as alive and fresh as the day Harry had fought it three months ago. However, he knew all too well that it was dead. He felt a tremendous remorse for being forced to end it's life especially since the basilisk was blindly following orders from Riddle, unfortunately, many innocent victims were hurt by the serpent's dangerous glare. In retrospect, it being dead was probably a good thing.

Myrtle was the first one to inspect the serpent flying past the three teens, checking it from top to bottom. None of them moved, watching as the ghost came to a stop, not moving. She turned back towards Harry wearing a gentle gaze.

"I... is this what killed me?"

Harry nodded. "Yes."

"And..." She hesitated. "It's dead?"

"...Yeah, it's dead. I killed it myself," He answered not bothering to hide it from her. Watching as the ghost remained silent for several moments, he could almost see the way her face relaxed and bit of that sadness lurking in her eyes faded. A dreadful feeling began to form in his stomach. "Myrtle-"

The ghost shook her head. A smile appeared a genuine smile. "Thank you Harry... for letting my see this, I appreciate it!"

"...Myrtle..." Harry's voice became tight, watching her with fear. "Y-you can't be... you're not going to...?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Myrtle answered, sadly, guessing why he might be worried. Seeing the confused look on Harry's face she continued. "I'm a ghost of Hogwarts, Harry. I died and chose to remain here, I could go and pass on at any given time that I wanted. But I choose to remain."

Yuushi cleared his throat. "But you were murdered, right? So isn't your spirit tied to this place because of a lack of justice on your death?"

"That's only true for muggle ghosts," She answered, seemingly pleased to be able to explain something to the three young ninja. "It's not entirely wrong it just doesn't apply to magical folk. Those ghosts are tied to this plain by the small amount of magic all creatures possess. They stick around only to seek justice of vengeance and once it is achieved the magic holding them here fades. Even though I cry and overflow the toilet stalls, I love Hogwarts and everyone in it. I want to protect this place, this is my home. Just as it is for all of you, I'm sure you understand that. Right?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I do," he allowed a tiny smile.

"Good, now that this is done and over with. I'm going back up to my toilet, I promise not to tell anyone you're down here Harry. But please be careful," The ghost gave him a knowing look and winked before zooming past them and heading straight through the ceiling.

Yuushi crossed his arms. "Well that was..."

"Anti-climatic?" Yakumo offered.

"Kinda, yeah."

"What should we do with the basilisk?" Harry spoke up, his back turned to them. "We can't just leave it here, right?"

The older teen paused. "Well, snakes like that are definitely worth something right? I'm pretty sure that the poison is still running through the veins. We could drain it of the poison and make a good profit off of it and use the skin of the basilisk to make armor and weaponry out of it." Yuushi went over and scratched at the dark green scales on the beast. "And I wouldn't mind getting a pair of ninja sandals made out of this either; it'll probably stand up to anything short of chakra enhanced weapons. Sandals may be the most convenient form of footwear for shinobi to wear but it's not uncommon for enemies to stab the feet since they are usually so unprotected. Sell a good amount of this and keep the same for yourself, Harry, you'll get a lot of good stuff out of it in addition to the money from what you sell."

"But how are we supposed to do this?" Yakumo questioned, frowning. "None of us know how-"

Yuushi pointed to himself. "I can send the material to my dad and I can do the skinning. The members of my clan are taught how to hunt and skin when we're kids in order to continue on the family business. Need to know what can be used for armor and how the weapons we sell work out in the field. As for the venom I'll probably needed Anko-sensei's help. Just to make sure that it's completely drained, don't want to accidentally poison ourselves better to be safe rather than sorry!" He grinned cheekily, only to be met with deadpanned looks and pouted. "You two suck."

Harry rolled his eyes, shaking his head and smiled at the teasing as he approached the dead serpent looking at them both.

"Since we can't do anything, how about we explore the rest of this place instead? There's gotta be a cool thing or two hiding down here."

* * *

Chapter eight-end.

Finally, this chapter gave me so much trouble to get out but I'm glad that I finally did! I'm sorry for the long up-date and I hope the wait was worth of which, I want to thank everyone for their kind words I really appreciate it.

For those who have noticed, I recently posted a new fic called Rise of the Uzumaki; a multicrossover fic complete with male! Harems. I would really appreciate it if you guys took a look and give me your thoughts on it! Make sure to check out the poll on my profile for it as well!

Until next time, please leave a review with constructive criticism!


	9. Information

Chapter 9: Information

Hermione quickly made her way down the hallway fuming with an angry gleam in her eyes and ignoring the frightened students that came into her sights giving her room to pass by them. She was a woman on a mission, getting to the library to access the information required and to give her mind some peace to cool off. Saying that she was only just angry would be an understatement due to the events of several hours ago, Hermione appeared to be the only student and Gryffindor that care at what that..._that cow_of a teacher dared to say!

Respecting a position of authority was one thing but respecting the person in that position was entirely different! How could she get away with the atrocious audacity that blasted bat showed?

As far as she was concerned Trelawney was nothing short of a false and crude woman that thrived off of misery and insulting others! Unfortunately, Lavender and Pavarti showed early signs of fanaticism as they held on to each and every word that came out of that barmy old woman's mouth. Hermione wasn't entirely surprised by it as the two were followers more than they were thinkers; chasing after the next big thing and looking for gossip like hungry wolves.

Hermione couldn't wait until she was no longer a teenager. She still found it hard to believe that so much of the wizarding populace married straight out of Hogwarts!

She almost cursed herself for not believing in Harry and dropping the class once school had begun; curiosity had sprung and tempted her to attend the course to form her own opinions, something that ended in disappointment and disgust.

Resolving to talk with McGongall after getting some homework done to drop the course in question, she scurried to the Library doors and entered. Moving towards her usually table without hesitation, placing herself into her seat and pulled out her favorite books in the world: _Hogwarts: A History._

It was a shame that neither Ron or Harry could see how magnificent the books was and just how much useful information was stored within the pages, in fact that book managed to help them on many occasions during their adventures over the last two years and saved her life when she and Penelope Clearwater ended up petrified because of the Basilisk. Knowing where to turn and stop without being able to freely look about had been very handy, though if they hadn't had the mirrors with them they would have been dead.

Not that it mattered all of the victims of the basilisks managed to make a full recovery with their memories intact, the three had debated about letting those who'd been petrified know what truly happened but ultimately decided to keep it between the Weasley Family and themselves. There was no telling what could happen if the information leaked out to the public and how fast it would get to the original source of the problem, making her frown. Harry informed them of Lucius being the true perpetrator having slipped the diary into Ginny's things during their meeting at Flourish and Blotts.

By luck alone Lucius had been booted from the board of governors and was currently still unemployed according to the Daily Prophet. Hermione sincerely doubted that it would last that long as Purebloods happened to have firm control over the Ministry due to their 'noble blood' and piles of money. She had been surprised that Mafloy hadn't confronted them on the train for getting his father fired from his job, either the Malfoy's had a plan B for such a backfire or Draco had no knowledge of his father's part in the near murder of the students of Hogwarts, then again the brat had already started to exhibit early signs of being a sociopath and future Death Eater.

So far this year Malfoy had only taunted Harry about his experience with the Dementors on the train and Fred and George had made quick work of him remarking at how he nearly pissed himself in fright, chasing the brat away from their table with his goons.

The rest of the Slytherin's outside of Malfoy's tiny gang hadn't bothered them at all, Hermione didn't believe that all Slytherins were distrustful and evil as she and Daphne Greengass had somewhat of a civil relationship despite the brisk tone and cold personality they did get along. However, the behavior of the other Slytherins still struck her as odd; fear and apprehension seemed to hang around them like a dark cloud.

It was undoubtedly because of Sirius Black.

Upon meeting up with Ron and his family in Diagon Alley, she accidentally overheard Mr and Mrs Weasley discussing the criminal that had escaped Azkaban and what his intentions could be. Having also looked through the Daily Prophet helped and gave her a perspective of how dangerous he was.

The man was clearly deceptive for being a mass murder and being the right hand man to You-Know...Hermione's shoulders slump and sighed, giving her head a shake. No, Lord Voldemort, thus the man had to be incredibly powerful and cruel in order to have risen to that position. However, without a wand she doubted he could be much of a threat seeing many Purebloods of all ages react with hysteria without one but Hermione was also aware of the...less than legal ways to obtain wands which Black could have easily gain access through fellow Death Eater sympathizers.

Yet it didn't seem that Black's mind was on gaining help from any former followers of the Dark Lord having a self appointed mission and obsession with Harry, the person responsible for his master's downfall. Rationally speaking she couldn't help find it difficult for him to go after Harry since his so-called Lord was alive… if 'ghost-like' could be considered alive.

There was no doubt in Hermione's mind that Lord Voldemort was still thriving somewhere feeding off wizards or other magical creatures in order to sustain his presence in the realm of the living. The only question was how was he doing it and if he'd seek out Black using him like he originally had with Quirrel.

Too many questions and scenarios were running through her head. Harry was right, none of them had the time to act like children if something like the previous two years was going to happen-and be far more dangerous, especially if Voldemort succeeded in regaining his body and power. They had to be prepared for when the time drew near, sitting around and doing nothing wouldn't help them get strong enough to combat him and his followers.

Her book flopped onto the table with sudden realization. Was that what Harry had been up to during the summer? Training for what was to eventually come? And...she and Ron had been left behind, completely unaware, not they had noticed the changes that were now starting to hit her in the face. He was taller and his body was much more filled out than it had been, his hair shorter and less wild and his skin was tanned and why he hadn't attended COMC?

Perhaps it had been for the best that he was not there to witness the events. No matter how humorous it had been she thought, as she tried to fight the smile threatening to spread on her face. Malfoy had made a complete and total fool of himself during the first lesson having insulted Hagrid and his choice of books and later insulting the Hippogriff, thankfully and oddly enough it had been one of the girls, whose name slipped her mind, that had rendered the boy silent instantly. Whether that was a fluke or the girl was always able to silence Malfoy Hermione made a small promise to herself to thank the girl for defending the creature and on a lesser degree, Hagrid, and helping his first class be a major success.

If only Divination had turned out to be so well it would have been a miracle. And now that she knew how that class went a thought of Harry's words about Muggle Studies briefly ran through her mind, slipping out her Time Turner staring at it-

"Excuse me?" A deep baritone voice spoke, causing her to jump and stuff the item back into her pocket, instinctively looking up at the source and seeing the boy from the train. He was wearing a coat that was a light shade of grey and shades over his eyes while on his forehead was a headband of sorts. "Is there something wrong?"

Hermione blinked out of her stupor, regaining her composure. "Oh no, nothing at all, sorry. Did you need something?"

"You're a friend of Potter Harry's, correct?"

"Yes, but, I'm sorry, who are you?" Hermione stated cautiously eyeing the boy, hand placed carefully on her wand. There was nothing that suggested any hostility however, his body language seemed too trained and well thought out to simply be a random, curious student. Having his eyes covered by his shades only added to the level of suspicion she felt from him.

The boy didn't seem fazed. "I apologize, my name is Aburame Shino. In your language that would be Shino Aburame."

"Hermione Granger," She introduced carefully.

"Are you a friend of Potter Harry's?"

The same question again. "Depends, why do you want to know?"

"Since he will be working closely with myself and my team I find that it would be rather beneficial to gather as much information as possible on him and get to know his friends in the process," Shino answered pushing his sunglasses back up his nose casually.

Hermione was silent for several moments. "Okay. What do you want from me then?"

"...I don't know where he is or how to find them." The boy admitted pitifully. He had forgotten to tag the newest members of the team with his Kikaichu resulting in his current predicament. Thus he sought out one of the newest Genin's friends in order to locate him, to make his own evaluation by getting to know him. Despite not being a very sociable person by nature, he was attempting to make an effort to be friendly towards the new team by Kurenai-sensei's advice.

"And that's why you came to me?" Hermione questioned.

Shino nodded.

"And you think I'm going to tell you where I think he might be and where you can find him?"

Another nod.

"Why should I help you exactly?" Hermione asked. "You've given me no reason to trust you. If I told every person who came up to me asking where Harry was…"

Shino titled his head. "That is a fair point, yes. I... apologize for my bluntness it was not my intention to offend you Granger-san. But please understand from my perspective, he is someone that has recently joined our... program," carefully substituting the word and ignoring the sharp gleam in the girl's eyes. "And I am wishing to know how far he has come. I am merely offering a hand of friendship is all. The program that we partake in is extremely difficult to get through as most of us join during childhood, while he only joined a few months ago."

"That's all?"

Shino nodded. "I promise."

"...Alright then," Hermione relented, eyes trained on the boy.

Shino could almost sigh with relief. At least he was finally getting somewhere and information, perhaps being social every now and then wasn't entirely a bad thing-

"As long as you tell me what exactly this program entails and why Harry is a part of it," the girl stated cutting off his thoughts in a firm tone.

Never mind. Shino thought to himself slamming his palm onto his face. Socializing was never the answer!

* * *

"Four thousand...Four thousand and one...four thousand and two..."

Raidou was currently in the zone, going far past his usual record of two thousand push-ups in his previous workouts after what had happened the previous day it was expected. It seemed as if life was starting to throw everything little thing into his face, taunting mercilessly having Minato meet him in the onsen.

His body shivered with disgust, not at the man that once held his heart, rather at himself. He had all but betrayed the trust Genma held in him by reacting and kissing Minato back. Receiving his former lover's blessing in his and Genma's current relationship had been something he hadn't accounted for even if it was something very Minato-like. His love for his former partner had deteriorated into nothing more than friendship, in fact the kiss they had shared was empty and awkward than the kisses he shared with his current lover.

He understood that his feelings for the man were simply platonic and the incident would never again repeat. Unfortunately his morals and sense of loyalty were screaming at him at the top of their lungs criticising at his responding to the kiss, willingly.

Raidou froze. His face slowly twisted into disbelief, pulling upwards. "Since when did I become such a girl?"

"When you realized you were gay, Rai-chan! I thought that was obvious," The snippy and dry comment made his eyes twitch whipping his head at the source, seeing Anko leaning against the side of the room smirking at him in her usual sarcastic manner. "What?" She asked in a sickeningly sweet tone, fluttering her eyebrows.

"Being gay doesn't make you girly-"

"Jiraiya."

Raidou snorted. "He's not girly. He's just an idiot."

"Like Kakashi?"

His shoulders shrugged. "Eh, close enough I guess." His eyes fell on Anko as she made her way towards him in her usual overly sexualized fashion. She smirked cockily, grabbing a chair from her side before placing it in front of him while parking herself into it staring at him. "...What?"

She simply smiled, elbow on the top of the chair and titled the side of her head into it. "Tell me all of your problems Raidou, Mama Anko will take good care of you."

..._What._

Fearing for her sanity Raidou took off his glove and placed his hand to her forehead. "Well, you don't seem to be feverish, are you feeling alright Anko?"

"Hey!" Anko swatted his hand away, glaring at him. "I'm trying to lend an ear here! The least you can do is tell me what's on your mind. Damn what the hell is with you men and keeping everything to yourselves? Honestly, people wonder why us females are the superior sex." On the inside she was seething at the idiocy that kept on coming her way. Being a part of the T&I Division of Konoha had given her some insight on the male psyche and why they acted the way they did. It took all of her willpower not to give Raidou a punch in the gut just to get her point across! _'Idiot man!' _she thought to herself.

"I'm sorry," Raidou apologized sincerely.

Her purple eyes were locked on, gauging his reaction and searching for the truth of his words, eventually nodding in acceptance of them. "Fine, now how about you tell what's on your mind. I won't judge you or anything that isn't my place-"

"Why are you doing this?" He inquired curiously; despite the woman's eccentric attitude and wild nature she wasn't the type to be nosey as Anko had a deep respected for people's privacy and secrets unless they brought a threat to the village. Perhaps she noticed his behaviour and came to check on him?

"Someone has to make sure you guys aren't acting like the moronic muscles heads you usually are," Anko answered without missing a beat. "Out of all of us I'm the only sane one here. You're all having your own little dramas," She held up her pointer finger. "Iruka is angry over having his position of father taken away from him," Another finger went up. "Genma's worrying about you" a third finger rose "and the kids always have their own problems. Thankfully Izumo and Kotetsu seem to be somewhat in the right mind-"

"Somewhat?" Looking at her expression Raidou had the decency to wince. "Good point."

"Asuma is dealing with his break up with Kurenai, and you know that he doesn't deal well with..._that _type of thing," Anko stated, choosing her words carefully. The Jounin was a well known fighter and feared in battle by other villages, having once been a member of the Shugonin Juunishi directly under the daimyo's command. Outside of battle he was a very laid back and somewhat lazy man, though he was always there to lend a hand or given out advice whenever it was needed.

Outwardly Asuma was like any other man laughing off his problems and cracking jokes when inwardly the man was not as emotionally strong as he portrayed himself to be. He hid it well from others but had major break downs when alone, allowing himself to be overcome by his emotions and feelings. It was by chance that Anko had discovered the man's problem several years ago, it was nothing to be ashamed of in her opinion and helped him through several episodes in the past.

She had felt that Kurenai and Asuma being together was entirely wrong, there was no connection or spark between them. They simply didn't fit with each other. She believed it not because of any romantic feeling for Asuma, whom was like a brother to her and Kurenai was essentially her sister, but Anko could see just how incompatible they were! When Asuma had informed her that he and Kurenai had broken up after finding out about Yakumo, she had guiltily let loose a sign of relief.

Neither of them would have the chance to further hurt the other.

Anko desperately wanted both of them to find some form of happiness with someone that loved them wholly and truthfully. It wasn't entirely known but the reason that the two had broke up was due to the callous and cold treatment Kurenai had displayed towards Yakumo, throwing her away and almost preventing the girl from becoming a Shinobi deeming her as 'unworthy'. That earned Asuma's anger causing a giant fight between the two leading to them ending their relationship entirely.

The way they had broken up hadn't been what she wanted having seen that Asuma avoided any questions about Kurenai, coldly changing the subject. However, when she had learned about the situation from her female friend she couldn't help note that something was rather off with everything. Kurenai was not the type of person to simply toss aside a girl like Yakumo and call her 'unworthy' of a Shinobi. There was something deeper going on that her friend was keeping from them and she planned on finding out upon returning to Konoha, the only thing that Anko knew now was that she had to do some damage control. And fast. She couldn't bare to see her to friends fight like enemies!

'_Urgh, I need a drink.' _Anko thought massaging her temple and tuning back into the man in front of him.

Raidou simply nodded. "What's Hayate's problem... actually," the scarred man paused and frowned, deep in thought. "What exactly is the deal between him and Iruka? They get along during training but after that they go their separate ways."

"Whatever happened to that mission you took on?"

"Touché."

She snickered. "You should know better, trying to pull a fast one on me!" She gave a sharp maniac cackle that made her famous in Konoha."But seriously," folding her arms onto the chair leaning forward with curious gleam dancing in her eyes. "What was the mission you originally got anyway?"

"You tell me what you know and I'll tell you what I know, deal?" Raidou offered.

Anko smirked. "Information for information, I like that. Alright," pushing herself off the chair, looking cockily at him. "Ladies first." as she inclined her head mockingly at the man before her, Anko knew that Raidou wouldn't take that offensively.

"Too bad there are no ladies here," He retorted stoically, the mirth in his eyes betraying the expression.

The purple haired woman waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah whatever just tell me all the juicy details!"

"What if I said that the mission details are strictly confidential?" Raidou stated.

She snorted. "I would call bullshit."

"True," He said honestly chuckling at the dried look and held his hands up. "Alright, alright! I'll tell you everything, yeesh you women are so pushy-"

"That's only because I love you," Anko answered smiling sweetly at him.

A shiver ran down his spine. "Yeah...sure whatever you say Anko." Ignoring the cheerful expression he continued on. "I'm sure that you are very much aware that when the Genin teams for this last Academy term were selected, an incident between a rouge Chuunin and Uzumaki Naruto resulted in the immediate promotion of the kid and the confinement of the traitor." Anko's eyes flashed with recognition. "You and Ibiki interrogated him managing to gain information of his true allegiance-"

The woman's face turned furious. "Orochimaru!"

"Yes, interesting enough we also stumbled upon some critical information and why he was so interesting the forbidden scroll," Raidou informed her watching the woman intently as she perked up at his words. "Because of that information the traitor was thrown into Konoha's prison and not immediately executed."

"He's more useful alive," Anko remarked sharply.

He nodded. "We planned on extracting more information out of him the day Iruka was putting the teams together," A dark frown formed on his lips. "Unfortunately, it did not turn out as well as we would have hoped." Raidou took a deep breath, eyes sharpened. "When I arrived at the jail, the traitor's cell had been completely destroyed inside and out."

Anko shot up from her chair. "H-how!"

"I have reason to believe that there might be more than just one traitor in Konoha," The man answered truthfully not bothering to hide it. If anyone deserved to know it was Anko, her loyalty to the village and having worked along Ibiki for years made her an excellent ally to help detect any other traitors. She had dealt with similar situations while remaining under that monstrous man's tutelage and guidance, learning the tricks of the trade and sharpening her own skills. He wouldn't even be surprised to find Anko taking over the T&I Division after Ibiki retired.

"Is that why you're here?" Anko asked accusingly at him.

"Partially," He admitted truthfully. "My real job here is protecting Iruka from the traitor and to do whatever it takes to eliminate any threats that may come this way. I assume you know exactly whom I am referring to, don't you?"

She sighed heavily, looking slightly defeated. "Yeah, I know who. But damn it...I should have known he was a slime ball!" Anko slammed her fist onto the chair sending a crack right through it only to go unnoticed by her. "I can't believe I didn't see at first, how blind could we have been?"

Raidou raised an eyebrow. "You knew Mizuki?"

"Growing up we were like our own little gang," Anko began slowly. "Iruka and Mizuki first, afterwards Hayate, Izumo, Kotetsu, Yuago, Kurenai, and myself joined up. We were the terrors of the school, pulling pranks left and right making the teacher's lives a living nightmare. I never regretted it, none of us did. But..." biting her lip hesitantly. "I always noticed something off about Mizuki, I just thought it was because he was full of himself like most girls do, you know?"

"I guess?" Raidou said unsure.

Anko ignored him. "Urgh, it doesn't matter now. If I had known that asshat would grow up to be a fucking traitor I would have ended him myself!"

"Getting a little bit ahead of yourself don't you think?" He abruptly shut his mouth at the glare she sent him. "Sorry..."

"That bastard loved fucking with Ruka-chan's head making him dance like a puppet and do whatever he wanted," Anko hissed angrily clutching her hand tightly into a fist. "He was the fucking reason why Iruka and Hayate barely talk to each other!"

"Whoa _what_?"

Anko's hand instantly shot up covering her mouth suddenly looking sheepish. "Oops."

"Anko," Raidou warned.

"Guess I don't have much of a choice do I?" The woman sighed folding her hands together, looking depressed. "Okay. I'll tell you everything Raidou," adjusting her face to gaze deeply into the other man's eyes wearing a tired gleam.

"I will tell you everything that happened between Iruka and Hayate that fateful day."

* * *

The next day rolled around quickly as everyone began to re-adjust to being back at school with their friends, rushing back and forth between the classrooms and courtyards, mixed expressions of stress and happiness clear on the various faces of students. At least that's what Harry wanted to say anyway, seeing the depressed and tired gazes of the student body never before had he ever felt so thankful for getting up out of bed at five in the morning for training, he no longer felt the strenuous drain of waking up in the morning.

Not to mention the ache in his muscles; it was a welcome pain, signifying his growing strength each and every day.

"...As third years you will be delving into the intermediate level of Charms," Filtwick began professionally from his table, gazing at all of the students. "As such I expect each and every one of you to act as responsible young adults. Charms, much like Transfiguration, is very dangerous magic if not done properly as all of you have witnessed over the past two years," watching bemused as several students began to flush at the remark. "For a prime example does anyone know what the _Glacius _Charm is and what is does?"

Surprisingly enough a large handle of students had their hand in the air waiting to be picked as the small Head to gaze around the room before pointing towards a young bored looking red haired girl draped in a Slytherin uniform as he gave her a nod.

"Yes Ms. Greengrass?"

"The _Glacius _Charm is a freezing spell that puts out flames and create blocks of ice," She answered calmly, her stoic expression stayed. "It can also simply produce cold air."

Filtwick looked pleased with her answer. "And can you tell me just why the charm can be dangerous?"

_'Because it can be used to freeze a human body at an accelerated rate depending on the area's temperature,'_ Harry thought to himself as his mind raced_. 'Another thing about the _Glacius _charm is where it can spread, with sufficient control it could seep straight into the enemy's mouth killing said person from the inside outwards. It can also be used to keep food fresh while travelling a large distance as a portal refrigerator.'  
_  
After pausing for a few moments allowing another thought to cross his mind, _'...could always help sharp weapons and give them a chilling edge,'_He prevented himself from snorting at the pun. While the charm was an elemental based charm, using it to cover the steel blade could enhance the sharpness of an otherwise dull kunai. Not that mattered as he had discovered a very good use for clones and oddly enough, shadow clones that he had learned from Genma during his month training, creating an endless stream of shuriken and kunai flurries made out of clones. Of course, Harry wasn't stupid to entirely rely on the cloned weaponry due to the draining of chakra but that didn't mean he couldn't improvise.

Having a mix of chakra and magic ended up giving up a boost to his 'pool' of useable energy since he had opened his pathways at an extremely young age and expanding them over the years unbeknownst to him. Harry wasn't sure of the occurrence that had awakened his chakra but if he had to guess, most likely it would have been the time he ended up on the roof of the school when Dudley and his friends had chased him during their favorite pastime _Harry Hunting._

Constantly having to run away helped aid to the strengthening of his physical energy, expanding it at a rapid pace since Harry had been forced to endure the torment of his cousin and friends day after day without as much of a rest. His magic, which was mostly spiritual energy had also been working in tandem to mix as chakra keeping him alive during the long periods of starvation the Dursleys imposed upon him as a child. It made Harry wonder if that had been the cause for his sudden..._strength _increase.

The wall in the Room of Requirement hadn't been the same since. The crater remained at the far wall, by sheer luck alone no one had pinned the blame on him and Raidou-sensei for making it as they decided to keep it to themselves. For the most part anyway...since Anko-sensei managed to discover the truth on her own.

He was certain that she blackmailed Raidou. Somehow, someway he was sure of it!

"Mr. Potter!"

Harry looked up to see Filtwick standing in front of him, sheepishly smiling at the man. "...I'm awake, sir?"

"Hmmm," The half-goblin mused with a vindictive smile on his face. "Alright then Mr. Potter since you seem to rather prefer sleeping during my lecture to participating with your classmates, give me some examples of how the Tickling Charm can be lethal."

Harry blinked. "Without cancelling the spell the Tickling Charm can cause long term speech disabilities and breathing complications." At Filtwick's nodded he continued on. "It can also be used to suffocate someone if they laugh hard enough, effectively making them laugh to death_." 'It's also good for distractions and getting past enemy forces, having them think that one of their own has finally gone off the deep end.'  
_  
"Very good ten pointed to Gryffindor!" the Ravenclaw head praised him. "It is as Mr. Potter said, the Tickling Charm can easily be used to cut off air circulation essentially having the person choke themselves. Now then Mr. Potter can you share with the class how the Cheering Charm can be dangerous?"

Harry stared. "The Cheering Charm? Umm… being happy for that length of time could result in immediate massive depression or possible delusions once it finally wears off?"

"That is a very good assessment, Mr. Potter I am delighted to see that you're indeed paying attention." Filtwick commented with a smile. "That will be thirty points to Gryffindor for today. Now it seems that class is about to end so I would like you all to read all through chapter one tonight. Until then, good day everyone!"

On cue the bell rang loudly prompting everyone to gather their things and head for the exit. Manoeuvring quickly Harry grabbed his books and sped his way out of the door, effectively avoiding Ron and Hermione in the process. Immersing himself into the crowd before glancing back spotting the patch of ginger and brunette hair that whipped around aiming to locate his whereabouts, a tingle of guilt squirmed in his stomach forcing himself to turn away from them going deeper into the crowd.

_'I'm sorry Hermione... Ron,'_ Harry thought bitterly gazing down at the ground. _'Please don't hold this against me but just not right now, okay?'_Harry wasn't stupid enough to believe that he could avoid them all year, Shinobi skills or not he would eventually have to face both of them. Gripping the strap of his bag tightly, he cut through the students effortlessly heading past the corridors determined to head somewhere secluded just to have some time to him-

"Hari-kun!" Without any warning his weight seemed to double in an instant as a pair of familiar ninja stopped in front of him.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Hello Kotetsu, Izumo. How are you two?"

"How can you ask such a thing?" Kotetsu spoke up grinning widely at the boy.

Izumo continued just as happily. "Especially we found our favorite student-

"Of all time!" The two chorused in unison wearing identical smiles on their faces.

"...Why are you two so happy?" Harry asked them cautiously having adapted to their mischievous and evil ways rather quickly having being the primary target when it came to their pranks and destructive nature. How was it that they were still only Chuunin? His eyes narrowed at their stilted smiles. "You know what, scratch that what did you do?"

Kotetsu's expression was positively sparkling now. "Why Hari-kun how can you ask such a thing?" The emerald eyes narrowed at him wearing a 'I'm not stupid' look. He pouted at the boy proceeding to pull him into a tight hug. "You know us so well now, I'm proud of you!"

"I'm glad now let me go!"

"Nope!" Was the ever so cheerful reply from the older male, his eyes danced amused.

Harry looked at Izumo giving him the most pitiful look he could muster and watching as the other man glanced back and forth between before nodding rather firmly, separating the both of them and gave Kotetsu a nice earned slap across the side of his head and gave him a sharp look.

"Stop man-handling him Kotetsu," The calmer of the duo state sighing lowly. "You don't want to accidentally drop him like last time."

Harry's head snapped towards him. "Wait _what?_"

"Never mind," The man dismissed to the gawked expression on the kid's face.

Kotetsu pouted. "Fine, fine. You always ruin my fun."

"Funny I've never heard that sort of talk coming from you in the bedroom," Izumo purred at him, cockily grinning at the lecherous gleam that burned brightly in his lover's eyes. "Down boy we have work to do remember?"

Kotetsu pouted again. "Oh alright. C'mon kiddo," draping an arm over the boy with a grin. "Ready for some more training?"

"What kind of _training_?"

Izumo and Kotetsu exchanged a look wearing terrifying smiles that sent shivers up Harry's spine. "And just what are you two up to?" A bemused tone snapped the three of them to the source to see Minato standing with his arm crossed over his chest with Naruto grinned at them.

"Y-Yondaime!" Kotetsu choked out fearfully, his smile turning nervous as sweat rolled down his side.

Izumo swallowed. "H-how are you today Yondaime-sama?"

"Hmmmm," The man was clearly amused; his blue eyes shifting from them to Harry and back again before approached calmly, gesturing his son along. "I sincerely hope that both of you are not trying to get Harry into trouble now are you?" His eyes flashed darkly at the Chuunins. "Like you did with Iruka when you were younger invading my office and painting it a bright, sparkly pink before ditching him when I arrived?" The two gulped. "I'm sure that none of us would like a repeat of the incident. Right?" His words were cold and menacing, his smile twisted.

"N-No sir! I-In fact Izumo and I have work to so _bye!_" Kotetsu grabbed his partner by the collar and ran off with amazing speed provoking large dust trail to form within its wake.

Naruto whistled. "Look at them go!"

"Kotetsu and Izumo are still as fast as I remember," Minato remarked wistfully, before groaning. "And just as destructive and mischievous," Shaking his head his blue eyes focused down at Harry. "Though I'm pretty sure that you already knew that," chuckling at the snort from the teen. "Been dragged into their plots often?"

"Only when it benefits them in the long run," Harry answered dryly.

The older blonde nodded sympathetically. "Have they tried shooting you using one of their so called," He held up his finger and did air quotations. "'_super duper amazing water jutsu' _yet?"

"...Once. And then I sicced Anko on them," Minato snickered as Naruto looked confused. "The purple haired woman," Harry clarified as a look of understanding appeared on the boy's face.

"She's scary," The younger blonde shivered at the memory of meeting her for the first time after waking up. "She threw a kunai at me!"

"That's Anko, alright." His father stated nodding. "Even as a child she was wild. I'm not surprised to see her keeping that attitude."

"Doesn't surprise me in the least," Harry murmured under his breath only to look innocent at the man's facial expression. "Errr... I mean, Anko is a very lovely woman that can do absolutely no wrong whatsoever?"

Minato's lips twitched. "Nice save. The timing could be better when she's actually around, though."

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind," Harry retorted not unkindly at the man and looked at Naruto. "By the way how are you holding up?"

The other blonde grinned sheepishly. "Still a bit weak, Pomfrey-sensei says that in another few days I should be back to a hundred percent and ready to go!"

"Good to hear it, but we have to have a spar before you leave. I've fought with most of the others but not you yet" Harry stated as he smirked at the boy.

Naruto smirked back. "Sure!" Inwardly he was cheering at finally being able to spar with someone that didn't treat him like trash and look down at him. Shikamaru and Shino didn't entirely count as they were too lazy to spar with him preferring to look at the clouds ('Shikamaru') or respond in a confusing manner ('Shino!') plus Yuushi and Yakumo seemed to have other things on their minds that he didn't want to pry into. Harry, on the other hand, seemed like a pretty good guy from what Iruka had told him and practically soaked up all of his Shinobi training like a sponge. He was giddy just thinking about it! "When and where should we spar?"

"What about on the lake?" Harry supplied. "You know how to Water walk right?"

The boy blanched. "N...No, Kakashi-sensei only taught us Tree walking-"

"Which is why I will be training Naruto and getting him up to Chuunin level before he returns to Konoha," The Yondaime's tone was frigid and hard, his eyes blazing with unhidden fury. He was not pleased to learn what Kakashi had done to his son and how he was treating his team or more specifically how he was not treating them. However, he decided to wait and deal with his former student upon returning to Konoha.

Harry stepped forward. "Maybe I can be of help, Y...Minato-san," Correcting himself having recalled their first meeting. "I may not have been a Shinobi for very long but I would like to help in anyway I can."

"Y...You'd do that for me?" Naruto asked surprised by the offer.

"Well yeah," Harry looked at him oddly. "That's what friends are for right?"

_Friends._

That word always felt so foreign and strange to him. Growing up Naruto had been isolated from his fellow peers and even more so once he'd joined his team. He hadn't been blind to see that no one from team seven cared about him, leaving him tied to the stump and walking off into the sunset on their very first day had proven that, if Iruka hadn't come along and freed him he probably would have been there for the entire night (It wasn't Naruto's fault nobody would show him how to do the rope escape jutsu. It had happened again when Kakashi and Sakura ignored his injures for Sasuke's after the Wave battle, telling him to 'Go and take care of it yourself!' as they gushed over the other boy's less than life threatening wounds. Though to be fair he wasn't exactly dying either, and he'd been much more concerned with seeing to Haku and Zabuza's bodies.

He had kept telling himself that it would eventually get better being on the team and that they would eventually be friends. What a laugh. They were nowhere close to even becoming like that, no friends existed on Team Seven only two Uchiha ass-kissers.

But now...now he had someone...someone his age offering a hand of friendship towards him!

"Yeah," Naruto agreed with a smile as he held out his hand towards the other boy watching as Harry took it.

"We're definitely friends, believe it!"

* * *

Chapter nine-end.

Wasn't this chapter just filled with excitement? Plot! Drama! And creepy Anko to boot! And everyone's favorite thing, character development! Also, I want to thank everyone who reviewed along with my beta Alec McDowell for keeping this fic going; you guys are awesome!

For those who are wondering, Asuma's team will NOT be staying for much longer and will be departing soon_ish. _Until next time!

Make sure to leave constructive criticism in your review! I want serious feedback!


	10. Of Friends and Conflicts

Chapter 10:

Harry watched in amazement as Minato and Naruto charged at one another exchanging blow after blow, working in tandem during the spar. At first, he had been rather concerned due to Naruto's injury during when his father had been summoned from the seal, and with the large amount of blood loss he had been surprised to see the other boy moving around so freely and energetically this soon. Harry could definitely understand why he was, after spending so much time in the infirmary with Madam Pomfrey and subjected to the woman's overprotective and overbearing nature, the need to move around and do something would motivate anyone. He was certain that nothing bad would happen as long as the blonde boy didn't push his wounds too much and since he had brushed up on his knowledge concerning the human anatomy and problems that could come with blood loss.

During his spare time Harry had divulged into the medic-scrolls that Raidou had loaned him during his training for the summer and under Pomfery's tutelage, had gained a widespread of magical means of healing. There had been a number of similarities in regards to the usage of chakra and magic, but they still held a key number of differences. As Chakra based healing focused on the Tenketsu and the circulation of chakra through the system, while magic healing used the properties of the ingredients in the potion to help rid the problem and spread through the body of the patient via the core within seconds. Neither of the two did not come without its faults as Magic didn't always work immediately for certain things like Chakra did and vice versa, which was normal.

Chakra and magic were both sources of energy drawn from the inside. Chakra drew from the Tenketsu system which were nerves within the human body moving in motion to manipulate physical energy and molecules in tandem, connected to the core in which magic was drawing from the entire core and spiritual energy within. Due to contrary belief, the core was not in the wand but rather inside as wands were necessary focus to channel and use magic, in the beginning. The wand's own core and material was in fact aligned with the person's own core, in a similar manner of a Shinobi discovering their affinity.

It made Harry wonder what types of wands that the others would have. His train of thought was cut off as Minato successfully dodged Naruto's fists slipping in arm from the younger's side and slammed it into the back causing the younger blonde to gag and fall to the ground painfully. He almost winced and couldn't help feel pity for his friend, but was grateful to see the older help the blonde up and gave him a parental pat on the back as they made their way over towards him.

Just seeing the two interact with one another he was able to see a strong family bond forming between the two, despite what had happened all those years ago. He didn't know all the details of how and why Minato had been sealed into his son's stomach, and frankly it was not any of his business. There was an air around Naruto that was filled with fear and apprehension, that he had noticed when the Konoha Genin had regrouped together. The fleeting glances kept happening if not as much as before.

It was alright for him. His friend would tell him what was bothering him when he was absolutely ready, Harry refused to force the truth out of him. Patience was a virtue and trust was something very delicate, needing to be handled with the utmost care otherwise be shattered forever.

That was something Harry had learned very quickly in life. Upon meeting Iruka and the others, Harry hadn't really trusted anyone outside Ron and Hermione as adults had continued to fail him in the past refusing to take responsibility for their actions or just not caring in general. Like that one man, Remus Lupin, the supposed friend of his father as McGonagall had informed of during the previous day.

In all honesty, Harry had no idea of what to think of the man as he had not once approached him. His feelings were still in conflict in what to do with the man, and currently decided to keep his distance from him. Until he sorted his emotions out, it was for the best. Harry didn't want to accidentally blow him up.

After the last incident with his Aunt Marge, Harry took up the Emotional Control training with Anko seriously in fear of hurting someone else by accident. Granted, he was still a teenager and in the process of learning to control his magic and didn't have to particularly like everyone he came across. Power without control was just as or even more dangerous as power with control, Harry considered himself lucky that he didn't do any major damage when he was younger.

A part of himself was rather envious of the Pureblood students that had learned earlier on to control their abilities as from the information he managed to gather, were not tracked by the ministry at all and were free to do as much magic as they liked. It certainly explained a lot of things and how the Pureblood students did better than the muggle-born and half-blood ones, and while Harry was certainly sure that growing up in the magical world also gave them the advantage there was other students like Susan Bones from Hufflepuff, Neville and Ron from Gryffindor and Padma Patil, whom each grew up with magic but remained on the same level as everyone else...that is, everyone that wasn't in Slytherin.

Harry had been struggling to stamp out his dislike and irrational animosity of the serpent house, hearing Malfoy's insults and Snape's constantly insulting him left and right had done nothing to rid himself of it. It was a continuous battle he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to win.

"So what did you think of the fight?" Naruto exclaimed, bouncing around and grinning big at him. His eyes danced with excitement and happiness, as they locked onto Harry's instantly he continued. "I was awesome wasn't I? Me and my powerful fists!"

Minato chuckled softly at his son, and placed his hand upon Naruto's head ruffling it fondly. "You did well, however it does need some tweaking here and there." At the younger blonde's fallen expression, he continued. "That doesn't mean you didn't do _well_," He stressed the word calmly, his gentle smile appeared. "It simply means you can continue to master and improve it. Before we had back to Konoha, I'd still rather you be prepared for further missions and the Chuunin Exams."

Naruto and Harry blinked exchanged looks, and stared at the blonde. "Chuunin exams?"

"After the war with Iwa it was decided to maintain a...level of _peace_," Using quotations to get his meaning across to the two. "Between all of the countries and build further relationships, gain clientele, and so on. That each country would hold the Chuunin exams every six months; whether it is still true today I'm not sure." He shrugged his shoulders looking thoughtful and curious, before laughing cheerfully. "Either way, the exam is dangerous. So I'd rather the two of you be prepared."

Seeing the bashful and slightly shy looks on both of the boy's faces, Minato's lips twitched as he recalled when Jiraiya had informed his team of the Exams. His sensei had put them through a rigorous training session the month before the exam to make certain that they remained alive. Needlessly to say, it paid off.

"The Chuunin Exams are used to promote Genin to the next level, depending on if they meet the qualifications," Minato continued casually.

Naruto's eyes light up at that. "Really!?" He punched his fists into the air. "I can't wait to participate then!"

"Are the Chuunin exams the only way to get promoted, Minato-san?" Harry asked curiously, looking deep into thought. "I mean, I can't really see all the countries promoting all of their Genin at the Chuunin Exams or allowing them all to do them. Wouldn't that give away too much information to a rival village?"

Minato's lips twitched at his words. "Oh, you saw through that did you? Yes. It's true that there are other ways for a Genin to be promoted and so forth. After all, no one wants to reveal all of a village's tricks that they had hidden, do they?" His hands slid into his pockets as his gaze softened at them. "Other ways of getting promoted are reaching a certain number of accomplished missions or performing a certain task that wins favor in the eyes of the Daimyo or Hokage. Most Jounin instructors perform the exams as they force their Genin team to adapt and grow, using the skills that they've gained under guidance and exceed further as Shinobi."

"They force them?" Harry asked incredulously.

"By that," Minato quickly answered. "I mean they omit the other ways of reaching Chuunin, as no one really bothers to ask about it."

The emerald eyed boy snorted. "Not lying, but not telling the truth either. Looking underneath the underneath," He drawled dryly at the man.

"Exactly," The former Yondaime nodded approvingly at Harry and smiled.

Naruto frowned. "That's what Kakashi always says, but he never told us the meaning behind it."

"It means not everything is as it is seems," Harry clarified slowly trying to explain in a manner that made sense. "Just because someone tells you something doesn't necessarily mean it's the truth or at least the entire truth. Go looking for the truth, relentlessly and without fail, to find it. Looking beneath the surface and beyond and grasp it."

"So... just think, look and than act?" Naruto asked slowly, his words hesitate and uncertain as the blue orbs darted from Harry to his father. Between the Academy and being placed on Team 7 he had never really had people that were willing to sit and answer his questions, outside of Iruka, whom did the best to his abilities to help him. Now that his father was back, it felt odd to actually receive straight answers.

Minato's lips softened. "In a manner of speaking; just don't take things at face value. Especially, if you're a Shinobi; deceit is a part of our job."

Naruto nodded in acceptance and grinned. "You guys explain things way easier!"

"I don't know about that," Harry responded flushing under the praise and smiled a bit. "I'm not good at explaining things," '_that's Hermione's forte. Not mine.' _

The older one's eyes flashed with an unreadable look. His facial expression hadn't changed. "I'm glad to hear that. You can always ask me if you don't understand something," Minato informed his son gently, feeling a stab of guilt when Naruto smiled up at him. If he and Kushina hadn't sealed themselves into the seal with Kyuubi, their son would have been treated better. Better than he had. His anger towards his home was growing each possible minute and he was a relatively calm person!

Most of his anger was directed towards himself for ever thinking that the citizens of Konoha were actually capable of showing compassion to Naruto, after sealing the Kyuubi inside of him. He should have known better as memories of old rushed at him remembering how he comforted and consoled Kushina during her nightmares and confined in him her fears. As much as Minato loved Konoha, arrogance and narrow-mindedness plagued the village.

He was thankful that at least now his son would no longer be alone and protected from the hate. As he should have been! Those thoughts made him wonder as to why Kakashi and Jiraiya hadn't raised or visited his son as a child as the responsibilities had fallen on to them after his and Kushina's deaths. Though, he could already guess his former student's reason, but that did not explain Jiraiya's absence at the very least the man could have dropped in and introduced himself to his son!

It took all of his might not to scream in utter frustration. All that mattered to him at the moment was his son's safety and getting his skills back up to scratch as quickly as possible, after that Minato would deal with everything else.

Personally.

"Dad?" Naruto's voice echoed. "Dad, you there?"

Minato gave his head a shake. "Sorry, I was thinking. What were you saying?"

"Do you want to head back up to the castle, Minato-san?" Harry asked concerned for the man.

The older blonde shook his head, making a face. "No thanks. I've been cooped up in one place for far too long. If you don't mind, I'd like to spend time outside a bit more and enjoy the fresh air."

"How about Harry shows us some magic?" Naruto suggested ignoring the loud squawk from the other boy.

Minato grinned slyly, eyes flickering over to the stunned magic-user. "Now _that_would definitely be a treat!" Plopping himself onto the grass and folded his arms against his chest he stared intently at Harry. "Well entertain us!"

"Yeah! Show us magic Harry!" Naruto goaded him with a loud cheer.

"Say please, Naruto."

The blonde blushed. "I mean please show us some magic?"

"Er...um..." His eyes blinked rapidly at the request trying to think of what to show them. "Anything specific?"

Naruto grinned somehow managed to grow wider. "Some super cool! Like a technique!"

"Like a technique, huh?" Harry murmured under his breath, thinking seriously on his friend's request. There was some magic he was certain that the other boy would definitely enjoy, but it wasn't flashy as the jutsus he had seen and learned from the others. "How about the _Glacius _charm?" He went over to the water and placed his wand upon the surface, causing ripples to appear. Carefully gauging his magic as Harry did not want to freeze the entire lake and harm the animals. _"Glacius!"_

Ice formed from the glistening spray that had emerged from his wand and spread upon the edge of the lake; forming into a ball of complete solid ice. Satisfied Harry plucked it and turned at Naruto holding it out towards him.

"Hey," Harry offered kindly. "Touch it."

Naruto stared at the ball in fascination, slowly pressing his finger at it skimming quickly before pulling away in fright. "I-it's c-cold!"

"It is made of ice," Harry stated with a small smirk. "Have you never seen ice before?"

The genin shook his head. "Kinda, I mean...but in Konoha, it's rare."

"Oh," Harry said. What could he say? Then again, Iruka hadn't really gone into detail about the climate of Konoha compared to England so he knew now. "Well, maybe one day, you can experience a White Winter!"

Naruto grinned. "I certainly hope so!"

"What other magic can you do?" Minato asked curiously, his lips twitched fondly watching the two bond rather quickly. He was glad to see that his son was making a true friend, his eyes darkened for a moment. It didn't seem that the Nara and Shino were particularly close to him that in its self was odd as Shikaku had been one of his closest friends and trusted advisor. He only hoped at his long time friend hadn't backstabbed the trust of his clan.

Harry threw his attention toward the man as a mischievous grin appeared which in no way calmed Minato. The boy pointed his wand at him as his grin turned into a smirk. "_Evanesco!"_

He blinked slowly. What exactly happened? Nothing seemed to change as far as he could see and tell. Perhaps the spell had been a dud? It was possible. Minato did have his fair share of failed jutsus in the past. Why was everything so cold all of a sudden? Wrapping his arms around his chest and looked around, he noticed a patch of peach that immediately captured his full attention. His eyes flickered downwards as his jaw nearly fell to the floor.

"M-My shirt!"

His head snapped up and saw the young wizard staring openly, his face completely red as his son was rolling on the floor struggling to contain the muffled laughter. Minato doubted that the laughs would be contained much longer.

Harry's eyes flickered away to the ground. "I-I'll get you a new one, hold on!" Sharply turning his back at them his head whipped around furiously looking for something that he could use. His eyes landed on exactly what he needed and darted towards it, located near the edge of the Forbidden Forest laid a pile of twigs that had fall from the bushes and trees. Pulling out his wand, Harry gave it a wave watching as they formed into a brilliant white t-shirt and picked it up as he returned to Minato and Naruto as he held it out towards the older male. "S-sorry!"

"It's fine," Minato accepted the shirt and slipped it on with ease, feeling it pressed against his chest. "The shirt's tight."

'_I don't mind_,' Harry thought to himself, still slightly dazed by the surprisingly pleasant sight of Minato's bare chest. _'Wait...what?_' The very thought of finding another male attractive was a bit sudden to Harry. While he was aware that his new friends were involved such as Raidou and Genma, Izumo and Kotetsu, never before would he would end up finding men attractive.

Especially when that one guy is the father of his new friend!

As he found himself staring into the mature blue eyes that gazed back at him, an overwhelming feeling of trust and warmth washed over him. The man was unlike any other adult he had come across thus far, Minato did not treat him as a kid and was willing to talk and listen rather then make accusations. He was also humble and quite righteous, as his serene presence seemed to bring peace around the area. His looks were quiet nice as well. Minato's hair was bright like a summer's day, and his blue eyes shone with intelligence and good humor. His features were strong and friendly in contrast to the very dangerous aura he could emit when displeased. Finally, his body... well, if Harry didn't know what kind of shape he was building for himself with all these Shinboi exercises he would've thought Minato a health nut. Oh, he wasn't covered in muscle; everything on that torso looked useful as opposed to someone who built their bodies purely to attract others. In hindsight, Harry wasn't terribly surprised that if he was to be attracted to a man, if would be this man.

Harry shook his head, firmly. "Transfiguration is based on changing the appearance of the object in question inside of out. From inanimate to animate and vice versa, just like I did with that shirt. I can also turn both of you intro frogs if I really wanted to."

"Can you turn rocks into ramen?" Naruto asked curiously, slightly grimacing at the thought of becoming a frog.

Minato, on the other hand, merely smiled.

"Unfortunately, you can't. It goes against the rules of Transfiguration, no matter how powerful the magic may be eventually it runs out and will revert back to it's original form," Harry informed his friend with a sad smile, and chuckled at the puppy dog pout on the blonde's face. "I'm rather sure you don't want rocks in your stomach, right?"

Naruto winced. "N-No!"

"Thought so. You could of course, turn something you didn't like, say brussel sprouts, into ramen. It'd still change back but it wouldn't bother your system too much," Harry commented with a nod. "Any other questions?"

"Can transfiguration be used offensively and defensively?" Minato questioned.

Harry nodded swiftly. "Yes, but it also depends on the complexity of the spell and what exactly you want done; it also depends on how strong your magic is. However, the key element is how you _visualize_ the _change_." His emphasised the two words as much as possible. "If you can't get a clear image in your head, then the spell won't work."

"And you have to maintain it," Minato presumed nonchalantly.

Naruto looked interested. "It's not that hard, you just to make sure to keep moving and be one step ahead of the opponent! It's how I got my Orioki no Jutsu to work!" he seemed rather proud of that statement. His smile dropped at the stare he had received from his dad and Harry. "W-well it's just I'm not that good with Genjutsu, so I use a combination of Ninjutsu and Henge to change my appearance inside and outside."

"You can change your outside and inside as well?" Minato was a bit surprised at that piece of information. He couldn't recall whether Kushina had been able to do that, but it seemed to him that it had been something his son managed to discover on his own. His throat went dry in tandem of his stomach doing a flip-flop. "How exactly did you discover that you were able to do this, Naruto?" He tried to come off as casual rather than demanding but the growing fear inside of his son being injured played in his mind.

The boy shuffled his feet nervously, glancing around. "You know... experimenting and studying," A pitched laugh escaped his lips and shifted his face away from the two.

Minato's eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion once again but, did not comment on the blonde's words.

Harry was rather lost as he noticed the change in atmosphere, the tension that had appeared between the two mixed with fear coming from Naruto and a spike of killing intent that was rolling off of Minato, for what reason? He didn't know. His knowledge of Naruto's past and whatever happened to the boy during his time growing up in Konoha hadn't been the best experience that much, Harry was able to tell. He was well aware that no city or country was entirely perfect, that was only a delusion, and each had their own faults. However, he was rather pleased to see that his new friend was managing to adjust to Hogwarts as well as himself, as they seemed to grown closer and closer by the minute.

It was a welcome change outside of Ron and Hermione, and the others. As Harry wouldn't help but, feel a strange kinship with Naruto, whatever the reason was he was glad for it.

Naruto's stomach roared loudly.

"Hungry are we?" Minato teased his son with a large on his face.

"A-A little," The younger blonde admitted, sheepishly grinning at them.

Harry pointed. "Just head towards the castle and towards the Kitchen, I'm sure that the House-elves would be happy to make you something." During his summer training with the others Raidou and himself had accidentally stumbled upon the kitchen after their evening training, they had happily offered to make them something to eat upon discovering them. He hadn't known that Hogwarts had a staff of them working in the kitchens and during the laundry, but, really he should have especially after freeing Dobby from the Malfoy's. He wisely kept his mouth shut about them as Harry was certain that it Hermione ever found out, trouble would follow.

"House-elves?" Minato and Naruto chirped in unison, and exchanged a sorrowful look on their faces as they sighed together.

Harry's lips twitched curiously. "Is there something the matter?"

Minato shook his head. "No, no. Everything's...fine."

"Alright," He didn't believe the man but decided not to comment. "Let's go and get something to eat then. Anyone can access the kitchens at any given time. As long as you're not caught that is," Harry winked with a grin.

"Really?!" Naruto let out a happy whoop. "That's awesome!"

The older shinobi bowed his head. "I'm glad to hear that, it's been while since I've eaten anything. I have to say though this magic school is... different from back home, there are many things here that are new and beyond our wildest imaginations." The things he had seen and witnessed so far were amazing, abilities and even creatures that people back home could only dream of. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity being able to see everything that normal wouldn't be considered 'real' back home.

"I know how you feel," Harry stated with a genuine laugh. "When I first discovered magic, and everything I thought was in fairy tales and stories turned out to be real, it was overwhelming."

Naruto stared. "Didn't you grow up with all of this?"

Oh. Right. Harry had forgotten that they didn't know much about his past, or the decision to become a Shinobi. It had mostly been kept quiet and really, that's the way he personally wanted as he shifted his body carefully and waved his hand.

"I grew up in the muggle world with my relatives, they were manophobic." Harry explained trying to avoid specifics, averting his eyes away from the two. "Needlessly to say, they did everything in their power to make sure I remained oblivious about magic until I turned eleven, the rest is history."

"Manophobic?" Naruto questioned eyebrows furrowed in confusion, not understanding the world.

"It means that they had a fear of magic," Minato answered instantly. His lips were pressed together thinly stomping out the displeasure that seemed to surface, it seemed that Harry had not had a good life either from the sound of things. "They shouldn't have denied you your heritage, what and who are you."

Harry's leveled him a look. "Fear brings out the worst in people and because they fear it, they seek to destroy it."

An awkward silence settled over the group as they approached the castle within minutes having not strayed too far and entered, ignoring the students that gazed at them with prying eyes while they moved out of the way when they drew near them. Their curiosity and hypocritical aversion was both irritating and amusing, jumping to conclusions without stopping to think that they might be wrong but, instead they continue to follow the words as truth joining the herd of sheep.

He wondered if the previous year had been a part of the reason he was so willing to become a Shinobi of Konoha. Despite telling himself over and over again that the rest of the student body were just children, compared to Ron, Hermione and himself, they hadn't known any better and reacted out of anger and what they had been taught. And, Harry knew it was childish of himself to felt resentment towards them due to their ignorance of the events that had taken place such as the first year when the three had attempted to save Hagrid's job by getting rid of Norbert resulting in the lose of 150 points and the wrath of the other houses, though in the end it had been better off that they hadn't told anyone about it. For his friend's sake anyhow. Either way, the fact of the matter was, everyone was quick to react without stopping and asking them first believing only in the false rumors that had been spread around by various other houses.

Now Harry wasn't stupid and blind to believe that the same thing wouldn't happen in Konoha. However, the place was a military village and seemed to hold a great upholding for their allies and comrades; while not everyone would get along with one another at least they'd fight tooth and nail to protect each other on the field. It was trust built from being of the village. He wasn't entirely sure if he would be accepted due to being an outsider of Konoha.

But that wouldn't stop him.

The three entered the kitchen and were greeted by the house-elves, eagerly wanting to make them something to eat. The solemn looks on their faces perked his curiosity, they almost looked like pouts from Harry's perspective. Rather cute ones.

Harry ended up having a sandwich as the two Konohans received food from their homeland, but neither of them looked particularly happy with it. The two ate slowly and unhappily.

"Is food badz sirs?" One house-elf questioned, almost fearfully eyes darted from the food to them and back to it's fellow houselves.

Minato had the deciency to feel ashamed. "N-no! It's fine sorry," He said sincerely and scratched the backside of his head. "It's just...I'm rather disappointed at the lack of ramen. I don't really understand how you cannot have it here."

"It's a total bummer!"

He threw a look at his son. "Naruto." The warning tone crept in the man's voice, chiding his son gently as the younger blonde blushed at the rebuttal.

"I-it was good, but r-ramen's my favorite," The young Shinobi added quickly. "T-the food was good though!"

"We only cook whats is in the books sirs," Another house-elf spoke up. "We cannots cooks what is not in the books."

"That... makes sense," Minato murmured with a nod. "Without knowing how to cook something, you really can't make it." Not that making ramen was hard to do, but the house-elves never heard of the dish and had no knowledge of it.

Harry looked thoughtful. "Maybe we can take a trip to Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade or London and grab a cook book on it. I'm sure that there's one somewhere floating about," He shrugged his shoulders and was suddenly meant with dozens of happy filled eyes all focused directly on him. His moved his arms struggling not to squirm at the eerie stares from everyone else in the room. "W-what?"

"Harry," Minato began as he went over to him, placing both hands on his shoulders. "You are a godsend."

Naruto jumped into the air. "YES! RAMEN FOR EVERYONE!"

"I've never had ramen before," Harry told them. "So I'm kinda curious what it tastes like-why are you two staring at me like that?"

Minato shook his head. "You poor, poor soul. Never having had the wonderful taste that is ramen."

"Don't worry, we'll make you see the joys of ramen." Naruto was nodding as he said this.

Harry let out a huge sighed. '_What have I got myself into?' _As a smile slide onto his face as the chatting and laughing between the three of them continued through the rest of the day, sitting in the kitchen just hanging out. Normally.

It was something Harry didn't regret and hoped would continue.

* * *

The days rolled by as Thursday finally arrived; the third years were anxious to have their first defense lesson of the year after Quirrell, whom had turned out to be evil and Lockhart, who had obliviated other witches and wizards of their accomplishments and wrote it off as his own. This year the defense classes had been split into two; one with their regular teacher, who turned out to be Remus Lupin and were the foreigners that they had seen walking around the halls of Hogwarts. The years that did have them kept their mouths shuts and hadn't said a single thing about the class, only promising the others that they'd enjoy it.

It drove people like Hermione and Ron up the wall when no one talked about it and with Harry constantly avoiding them the excitement built up more. The whispers and chatter increased as the third years flooded straight into the room, taking seats besides those that were in their house waiting anxiously to see whom would be teaching them today.

Suddenly, without any sort of warning the room was filled with smoke spreading from the front to the back. Many students let out harsh coughs as it dissipated quickly revealing a young tanned man with brunet hair an a scar over his nose, his eyes were friendly yet hold a stern edge standing in the middle. He wore a dark blue clothing with a light green vest snuggled over his chest and a headband wrapped around his forehead with a strange symbol that resembled a leaf.

"Good morning everyone; my name is Umino Iruka or Iruka Umino in your tongue. From here on in I shall be your instructor," Iruka introduced himself in a firm and kind manner as he flashed them his parental smile. "You may refer me as Iruka-sensei _only_. I will not answer to anything else." The students were stunned in their seats and he continued as if he hadn't noticed. "This year Dumbledore-sensei has requested my fellow Shinobi and I to help you prepare for the inevitable outside of these walls due to the failures of teaching from the last two years. Now, does anyone know what a Shinobi is?"

He was met with silence. No one dared moved or said a thing, had his entrance really left them that bewildered? Iruka suppressed the urge to shake his head, it really wasn't that impressive. Anyone and everyone was capable of doing it.

"I asked a question," Iruka stated a bit firmly, not enough to scare them but to bring these students back to earth. From looks of it, they had.

The girl with the dark skin draped in the same black robes with the blue crest upon the breast raised her hand. "Shinboi's are ninjas aren't they? That's what my dad told me."

"That's correct Miss Patil," Iruka felt a bit smug as the girl blinked at him in surprise as he chuckled loudly. "I know each of everyone of you. As a Shinobi gathering information before hand is imperative. Before all of you entered this room I along with my associates made sure to find said information, that was deemed necessary, in order to get a better understanding on how to being your training."

"Isn't that stalking and invading our privacy?" A boy with brunet hair questioned.

Iruka snorted.

"And training?" A pointy pale boy with platinum blonde hair sneered at him with a twisted look and glare. "What training?"

The man's eyes narrowed upon the boy, seeing the gaze of superiority and arrogance shining through just like several students that hailed from clans; such as Hyuuga Hanabi and Uchiha Sasuke. The two believed that they were above everything else and deserved to have everything handed to them, more Sasuke rather than Hanabi as many instructors and civilians as he had seen literally dumped it straight into the boy's lap without any effort at all. The difference between this boy and the other two, was that this brat seemed to think he was above training from the drawling sound of his voice.

"As I said; training." Iruka's tone was flat and cold as steel, a field trained Shinobi. "I will not lie to any of you. Every single one of you will be trained in physical combat, it will be long and hard. But I assure it is necessary."

The blonde looked repulsed by the idea, making a screwed up face the same as several others that wore the green crests upon the robes. He was pleased to note that not all of them seemed to have similar thoughts as two girls looked rather intrigued by his words.

"Is there a problem?" He asked in a tone that was far too cheerful for anyone that personally knew him.

"I won't stand for this, wait until I tell my father that you're forcing us to do physical exercise!" The blonde complained loudly, standing up abruptly and glaring at him with a cocky smirk on his face while he slammed his fist on top of the table like a spoiled child. "You and your friends will be tossed out of the country before you know it! The ministry won't stand for this!"

"Your so-called ministry and Dumbledore were the ones who hired us, _together_." Iruka stressed watching glee as the boy blanched at the words.

The boy gritted his teeth. "My father will think of something!"

"You're absolutely welcome to try," Iruka informed him. "Oh. Down and give me 15."

A moment of silence as the boy stared at him with a contemptuous gaze.

"15?" He repeated with a glare. "15 what?"

"Down and give me 15 push ups," Iruka answered flatly pointing to the ground. The rebellious gleam flashed. "NOW!"

The blonde grumped angrily under his breath and lazily did fifteen push ups in front of the entire class, glaring hatefully up at Iruka. How embarrassing that a Pureblood like him was forced to do filthy muggle exercises! Just who did this man think he was? Getting up from the floor upon finishing, he sneered and placed himself back to his desk.

"Again, , and this time do it right." Iruka stated dryly.

Malfoy glared refusing to budge from his seat.

"Now. Or else I'll make it thirty," The man warned sternly, not giving into the spoiled brat's attitude. "You'll find that punishment does exist in this classroom and won't be easy to get away with."

"What about Potter then!?" Malfoy shouted angrily. "Where is he! And why isn't he getting punished?!"

Iruka ignored the question. "Thirty push-ups, and I'd like you to start." Watching as the blonde teen glared at him again and resumed his push ups, he went over to his desk and wore a very cheerful smile. "And by the way, every one of you can thank Mr. Malfoy over there for your pop quiz today," he held up the sheets. "I was going to give them to you tomorrow but..." His eyes locked onto the blonde, whom gapped at him. "Plans changed."

Every single student turned towards Malfoy and glared. It was evident that the blonde wasn't going to get any special treatment from this teacher and Malfoy already lost favour even before the class had even started! Little did the blonde know, favour of a teacher wasn't the only thing he was going to lose.

* * *

Harry grinned as gripped his broomstick and made his way outside. He had been dying to fly after all these months his training had taken up most of his time, and now he finally had the chance! It was his free period which he played on using getting back into the air. Rubbing his hands in glee, he entered the Quidditch Pitch and taking in the scentful aroma of the grassy fields, it tickled his nose nearly causing him to sneeze. Looking around the area, no one was in sight.

Perfect.

The broom was tilted downwards and held in place as Harry placed himself on it, shooting into the air. The winds pressed roughly against his body, coolly kissing his exposed skin. There were no words to explain how good it felt to be in the air.

It was a freedom at it's finest.

A familiar screech captured his attention; he turned his head and smiled as a streak of white zoomed past him perching on the end of his broomstick staring at him with pointed amber eyes. Hedwig managed to escape the Dursleys during that night, but hadn't flown too far away from him. Harry was just glad that his long time friend managed to stay alive, and rejoined him.

"Hey girl," Harry said gently, and stroking the beautiful white feathers gazing gently at her.

Hedwig let out a happy hoot.

His lips twitched fondly and he switched his gaze back into the air, circling around the Quidditch pitch hoops and stadium. His eyes surveyed the area, gaining a glimpse of how large it appeared to be from the sky, and noticed a small figure entering the pitch; being only able to see the spiky black hair and green smudge from the sky. Harry turned his broomstick, focusing on going down back to the ground, the person in question started to become clearer and clearer the closer he got to the ground.

To his surprise, it was Asuma in all of his lazy glory standing there with his cigarette grinning at him.

"Yo!"

Harry blinked and dropped to the ground. "Hi Asuma-sensei," What was the man doing here anyway?

The man's eyes flickered towards the broomstick and approached him, staring at it. "So you actually fly on these things? Like in the actual stories?"

"Yeah," Harry answered watching as the man focused on his Nimbus. "Do you want to give it a shot?"

"Could I?" Asuma asked, rather happily looking very interested in the offer. It almost caused him to laugh at seeing the older man beam up like a child.

Harry bent his broomstick back down, and looked at the man. "Are you going to stand there all day or get on?"

The older man gleefully joined him on the Nimbus 2000 gripping onto the broomstick tightly, making sure that Asuma was set. Harry once again zoomed straight into the air, Hedwig flying alongside as they pierced above the clouds.

Asuma's happy shout rang through the arena.

* * *

Chapter 10-end.

I want to apologise for the lack wait for the chapter, but I really do home it was worth it! I'd like to thank all my reviewers and readers for helping to continue to keep this fic alive, and my awesome beta Alec McDowell for doing such a great job for the editing.

Serious A/N: Lately I've been struggling with the plot of this fic. I'd really love just a quick review telling me what you're liking, what you don't, and what you think should/could happen next!

Thanks!


	11. Schemes

Chapter 11:

"Why did I agree to come down here again?"

Minato was confused at how these young Genin had managed to convince him to join them exploring the underground hidden chamber beneath the girl's washroom, during the rest of September after the departure of his son and team, the three returned to salvaging the basilisk that Harry had apparently killed the previous year with a sword and sending to Yuushi's family in order to make use of the skin. It had merit considered how strong and durable it was, at least from what he had read from the books in the library. He had been rather concerned about the poison running from inside, but had been reassured by Yakumo that they had enlisted Anko's help and extracted the poison.

That in no way made Minato felt any better.

Many had questioned why he hadn't returned to Konoha along with the others. It wasn't like Minato didn't want to go with them but, rather he was unable to leave. Whenever he had attempted to leave beyond pass Hogsmeade, the town just by the school, his body would go under excruciating pain and nearly faded away. To his horror, Naruto had also felt the same pain that he had endured. Minato refused to put his son through something like that again. He had already suffered too much as it was and refused to put him through something like that again. Oddly enough, it seemed to only apply to himself and not the other way around.

Another mystery seemed to have presented it's self. Now all was left was to figure it out...

"It's not like you have anything better else to do, Yonda..." Yuushi cut himself off and interrupted the blonde's train of thought, looking hesitant. "Err...I mean, Minato-san."

The former Hokage's eyes danced with cheerful mirth feeling the ends of his lips tug fondly at the young teen. "Minato is fine, Yuushi. You don't need to use honorifics with me, I am not your sensei nor am I the Hokage any longer. So don't worry about it, alright?"

However, what Yuushi had said was indeed true ever since Naruto had returned back to Konoha, Minato had wallowed into confining himself into the library reading as many books as he had been able to. Occasionally helping Iruka with his lessons every so often, and assisted with spars with the young team before him and with the others as well. After all, Minato didn't want to lazy the days away regardless of his depressed he was pushing him in to learning about the new world that he had returned to. Needless to say, he was a tad overwhelmed.

His knowledge of magic was vague at best having it dealt when he had been alive all those years ago. Never in a million years did he ever think of encountering the magical side of the world again and meeting the son of the woman he had worked with to boot!

Minato resolved to do his best in order to look after Lily's son. It was the very least he could.

"It's not like we haven't taken a look around the Chamber before, Minato. Having more people with us allows to cover more ground that we haven't yet," Harry elaborated further approaching the giant head of Salazar Slytherin; and just like last time, the jaw still remained open. Oddly, that bothered him but, was unable to explain why since rationally parseltongue the main mechanic that made everything within the chamber work, a part of himself felt that the door should have closed.

It was stupid. Harry was fully aware of that and tended to keep his thoughts to himself, fortunately enough Yuushi and Yakumo also shared his distrust and avoided going near it at all costs. That reason alone caused his curiosity to be piqued wondering what was causing that feeling amongst them, yet every other time he ventured into the chamber instead of going in he turned the other way.

But why?

Still Harry planned on solving that little mystery once and for all. After, of course they scout out the rest of the chamber.

"You three already seem to have a good grasp on what you're doing, I still don't see why I need to be here." The blonde shinobi expressed truthfully, his blue eyes were dancing bemused.

Harry glanced back at him briefly. "Like Yuushi said before Minato, it's not like you have anything better else to do right? Might as well do something with us instead of helping Iruka-sensei and them with paper work, right?" The cheeky response made the blond wince at the mention of 'paper work' which caused Harry to smirk in victory. "I knew you'd see it our way."

"When you put it that way how can I refuse?" Minato retorted not unkindly, still grimacing at the image of paper work appearing in his mind.

Yuushi let out a powerful snort while Yakumo giggled softly to herself. Avoiding and hating paper work seemed to be a common thing that all shinobi shared. Not that they could be blamed for it! Paper work was tiring, annoying and simply there was just too much of it to get done. At least from what they seen and heard particularly from Genma, whom usually ran screaming down the halls trying to avoid getting suckered into it until Iruka caught him and dragged him back to the office.

It was quite hilarious really.

"So far we've managed to record the majority of the paths staring from the slide all the way through the various drains into the school," Yakumo began softly, blushing brightly as Minato's eyes were focused upon her and shifted away before continuing. "W-what we haven't been able to explore is...well..." Her eyes flickered towards the massive statue with the jaw open, feeling her body shuddered deeply and torn away from it roughly. "Is that."

Minato frowned thinly. "I see." He didn't really, though it wasn't like they needed to know that. His sapphire eyes flickered towards the stature, frowning thinly and felt a strange feeling emitting from there. Only, instead of saying anything he kept his mouth shut. No need to do check it out until he had all the information he needed. "In that case how about we all head back to the surface?"

"Why would we do that?" Yuushi questioned throwing a glance back at him.

"I'd figure that the three of you could use more training before heading right on in there." Minato said casually, his eyes narrowed into slits gazing at them. "For one thing, I know for certain that none of you know your Chakra natures." A smirk formed seeing the interested gleamed that appeared in their eyes. "And I also just happened to have some chakra sheets on me as well." Which he had managed to get off of Hayate while the other male was occupied during his class, hopefully he wouldn't mind. A happy smile appeared on his face. "And maybe, I can teach the three some new jutsu once we discover your natures. What do you say?"

"Oh hell YEAH!" Yuushi punched upwards eagerly. "You got me in!"

Yakumo bite her lips casting her eyes to the floor. "I...I wouldn't mind learning some new jutsu's and my nature..."

"I know a little bit about chakra natures. They're the five basic elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth and Lightening, right?" Harry surmised uncertainly, biting down on his lip. He was aware of the elemental jutsus touching very briefly upon the natures and abilities known as Kekkai Genkai.

Minato nodded. "That's right, my main chakra elements are wind and earth. It's not that uncommon for a Shinobi to have more than one chakra nature, though it is normally seen within clans and those that have kekkai genkai, that doesn't necessarily mean that a person with two chakra natures will develop or has a kekkai genkai."

"Do you have a kekkai genkai?" Yuushi blurted out before he could prevent himself, shuddering at the glare from the redhead giving her a sheepish smile in return.

"Nope!" Minato laughed full-heartedly. "As I said before, it's not uncommon and it doesn't mean that they have or will discover one."

Harry stared. "How do you know if you have two chakra natures though?"

"That's a very good question," Minato clapped his hands together rather pleased. "You'll start out with your first nature in the beginning overtime your body will end up developing another chakra nature. It's different for everyone since I discovered my second nature during the development of my Rasengan back in the day." For a moment an untraceable gleam flashed within his eyes before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. "Now then, shall we head back up?"

Yuushi nodded vigorously, his grin stretched across his face. "Let's go then!"

"H-Hey Y-Yuushi!" Yakumo stuttered out watching the older teen rush back them in an excited fashion prompting to roll her eyes in amused at the antics before quickly following after him.

Minato smile watching the two rush ahead half-turning his head. "Something wrong Harry?"

"Hm? Oh...no, nothing!" The raven-haired boy shook his head firmly snapping out of whatever thoughts that had occupied him temporarily flushing under his eyes laughing it off, falling towards in a slow pace before quickening up in order to join the other two.

The ex-Hokage half-smiled proceeding to take a step forward and came to a halt. A cold chill ran up his spine as he glanced behind him towards the giant statue of the head behind him, pressing his lips tighten together in a frown staring at it for several moments with an unreadable look eventually and cautiously walking away from it. His blue sapphire eyes remained upon it for a length degree of time until the statue was no longer within his sights.

(UTU)

A large growl escaped from a giant black dog that rested within the woods of the dark forest, the eyes gleamed with intense hatred that were focused primarily at the castle before it. Nothing but irritation swirled around within the canine's mind.

Too much. Far too much time had passed and nothing had been accomplished! That flithy traitor was still laying cozy deep inside Hogwarts. Near HARRY.

Ever since that fateful day twelve years ago Sirius had felt nothing but guilt and horror at his actions. He had allowed his emotions at the death of James and Lily to consume him having a moment of weakness which had caused him to hand Harry to Hagrid, without stopping to think and head to Dumbledore for aid. No, his thoughts had purely been about getting his godson somewhere safe with people to protect him as he went to get vengeance for them.

How could he have been so stupid?

Regardless, Harry was safe and sound away from dirty Death Eater hands. Or so he thought until reading the front page of the Daily Prophet during the summer...Wormtail. Sitting on the shoulder of the Weasley boy. He knew then what he had to do.

He had often wondered if escaping from Azkaban so early had been such a good idea. Unfortunately, it was far too late to start having second thoughts and he had a job to do. As long as he'd be able to protect Harry from harm that's all that mattered. Thankfully, he was able to remember the entire layout of the castle including the secret passages which he along with James back during their first year and recorded the locations down on the map during the initial creation. Now he just needed to see if his memory was still as good as it used to be.

But not now. At least, not yet.

Sirius knew that heading into the castle now of all times was a keen to suicide. He needed to continue laying low until he was able to get inside and out without causing a commotion, not to mention avoiding the portraits and ghost in the process. He had absolutely no desire to get caught.

While not entirely thrilled at least he had been able to see his godson briefly from a far to put his mind at ease.

For now.

(UtU)

Hayate watched carefully as the line of students made a sharp turn around the school, the majority of them looked tired and nearly out of breath while others managed to continue on without much of a problem, it was good to see that some of the progress that Iruka and the rest of them managed to install into the wizards were finally beginning to sprout. Time would tell before the seeds they planted would grow just yet, but in the end he was certain that it would be worth it; of course with what the scarred chuunin had planned for making the lesson even more interesting. Needlessly to say, he was rather curious to see what was up the brunet's sleeve.

It was...difficult to work alongside Iruka. Not because that he held any animosity towards his fellow Shinobi, no, the fact of the matter was Hayate held the other male in rather high regard. Unfortunately, the past several years had left a gap between them going from friends into almost completely and total strangers. Then again, he was aware that fault solmenly belonged to him.

There was no reason for him to sugar coat it.

Too much had been between him and Iruka to simply be forgotten with a simply 'I'm sorry'. However, the fact that Iruka had even invited him on the mission reignited the flame of hope that was in his soul, though there hadn't been a moment that had allowed the two alone the mere fact that they were talking again was enough. For the moment. The swordsman desperately wanted to repair their friendship and maybe even making into something even better, of course it would take work on his part. Not that Hayate personally minded due to being a firm believer in hard work rather than mere genius. A sharp snort escaped his nostriles in which he covered upon being on the receiving end of curious stares.

"I don't think you should lag behind," The brunet chided the students not unkindly. "I don't think Iruka would appreciate it if you fell behind." A sly grin formed on his face watching as the student's expressions turned in to complete and utter horror. "You'd better go and hurry up!"

His eyes followed the retreating forms of the students chuckling softly under his breath, shaking his head bemused. Why hadn't he gone directly into teaching? If he had known it would be this fun from the get-go he would have applied for a position as a Jounin instructor! But he could definitely do without having to do paper work and the insane amounts of marking; thankfully Iruka was also taking care of that portion of work for the rest of them.

Not that they weren't capable of it. Iruka was simply convenient. No matter how crude that sounded, this allowed the others to cover more ground such as guarding, scouting around the castle and training their three students and gaining information on the rest of the student body. It was killing several birds with one stone.

"Izumo and Kotetsu are busy hanging under cover," Hayate murmured stroking his chin in deep though, eyes narrowed watching the rest of the students. '_I haven't seen Genma since this morning, maybe he's survillancing the school along with Anko and Raidou,' _going through his mental list of everyone and their duties fully aware of Minato being with the three genin.

Minato's reappearance into the world of the living had taken them all by surprise and only now were they beginning to adjust to his presence, despite how strange it was, the blonde provided to be a valuable asset to their team. Unfortunately, that brought up another problem; explaining his presence upon their return to Konoha. None of them were foolish enough to believe that Minato would be accepted back into Konoha with open-arms or trusted immediately, if Danzo and his petty minions Koharu and Homura had anything to say about it; the three of them had never agreed with the Sandaime's appointment for the fourth each of them backing up Orochimaru in the past before his treachery had been discovered.

Hayate was certain that they'd do everything in their power to block Minato from re-ascending to the position. Which brought up another issue; would Minato even WANT to go back to being the Yondaime? After hearing all the things that had happened to Naruto over the years, Hayate wouldn't even be surprised if the man brought down his wrath to the village. Shivering violently at recalling how angry the blonde was upon discovering the extent of the abuse that Naruto had been forced to endure.

Unfortunately, the swordsman found himself unable to deny the fact that they deserved the former kage's anger. All of them had treated Naruto in a horrid fashion one way or another, doing nothing was just as bad as hurting him. He didn't know the extent of it entirely other than the harsh whispers from various citizens, shinobi and civilian alike, and having seen the boy being tossed out of some shops on the rare occasion, but if Hayate had to bet his swords he was certain that it went deeper. Though there was no proof to back up that claim the brunet was positive that young genin never told anyone everything. Not even too Iruka.

That being said perhaps it had been a rather good idea to have Asuma and his team to keep their mouths shut about Minato's return. Normally, all of them would have wanted to inform that Sandaime, but...

There was no way in the seven layers of hell that he'd believe them. Not without seeing him in the flesh.

Which brought them to their current problem. Minato was unable to leave the grounds of the school, since none of them had any amount of knowledge of the seals or magic, one of the professors, Babbling, Hayate recalled managed to get into contact with one of her former students; the one she had been trying to contact since Minato's appearance. Whatever was keeping them finally was resolved and was planning on heading on arriving later in the evening.

Hopefully.

(UTU)

It had been a long time since Bill had been in the corridors of Hogwarts. Almost nothing had changed since he had last be the castle all those years ago watching as the swarms of students proceeded down the halls exchanging incoherent whispers that hovered in the air, and the admiring stares from the girls along with some boys as he continued towards down the halls. But, not before he flashed them his award winning smile watching bemused as both genders swooned and started to blush endlessly before scurrying to away either in embarrassment or towards their next class. Bill chuckled feeling rather smug, shaking his head amused, happy to see that not even the students had changed at all.

At least on the outside. Professor Babbling had contacted him regarding a problem a certain visitor within the boundaries of the school and had requested his presence as quickly as possible, if it had been for that emergency back in Egypt he could have arrived earlier. His employers hadn't anticipated that the problem would have taken that long to solve, though overall Bill had been paid rather hefty for it, so at least that was a plus.

With that being said his confusion at being summoned to Hogwarts was still floating through his head even after being given a rather clear and blunt explanation from his former professor. Hopefully, one he gained a better look at this 'seal' he'd be able to get a good idea of where to go from there, and isolate the problem. His knowledge of Japanese magic was thin at best having more experience with more ancient and nearly forgotten magics, worse came to worse Bill would contact several friends of his order to get a consultant before diving forward, after he took a good at it of course. He didn't want to bother them if it was unnecessary.

There was also another ulternative reason for agreeing to come to Hogwarts since it had been a rather long while since seeing his siblings Bill made checking up on them one of his priorities. Especially after the fiasco that had happened the previous year.

The details were sketchy and he barely knew the entire story, but it involved Ginny and being possessed by something from a diary. His eyes darkened clutching his hands into fist, gritting his teeth upon the memory. He had half a mind to hunt down whom had ever given his little sister such a dangerous object and throttle them with his bare hands! Not that he'd be able to due to the lack of proof. From what he managed to get out of the twins, Ron had a fairly good idea of the prep but, had kept quite.

Normally, Bill would have been angry with his youngest brother for staying silently, but he had a feeling that it ran far deeper than that thus resolved not to push the matter any further. No matter how much he wanted to, all the students that were petrified were back to normal and Ginny was alive and well. That was enough for him.

"Professor Babbling said that the last time he saw this 'Minato' character he was heading outside," Bill murmured to himself, his eyes wandering into the open courtyard and seeing merely Hogwarts students sitting around. He managed to get a good description of the man that he had to find; tall with blond hair and blue eyes wearing a white coat with flames on it which sounded completely outrageous and cool at the same time, his eagerness at meeting his man had increase tenfold. The man sounded like a real rebel. Like himself.

A small image of this man meeting his mother entered his head causing a muffle of laughter to escape him.

The curse breaker mused rather loudly. "Wonder what this fellow is like anyway?" Anyone that was able to gain Professor Babbling's respect and get underneath's Snape's nerves was a good person in his books. There hadn't been one member of the Weasley family that could stand that potions master, then again not many people could. The man was unbearably childish and rude to everyone around him, to this day it stumped Bill as to how the man even managed to keep his job! He was certain that many students would have complained to their parents about his behaviour, that or the students had learned not to bother at all.

"H-hey!"

A female voice cut through his mind interrupting his thoughts turning towards the window seeing a girl with long red hair holding up her arms using them as a shield, while smiling behind them while a boy with raven hair splashed water, that had formed in his hands, towards her, completely drenching her. The girl rolled her eyes giving the other boy a stare before cashing after him-

_Wait. What?_

Bill's mind halted at what he had just seen. Was...was that wandless magic that he had just witnessed? But that wasn't possible!...was it?

His legs started to move faster quickening his pace in order to confirm what he had seen. His adrenaline ran through his body feeling anticipation ran through him, was this Minato person the one that had been teaching them this type of magic, if so why hadn't he been hired earlier on? A grin formed on his lips while his mind began to form question after question in his mind, it was a once in a life time chance! Maybe he'd even able to convince the man to teach him too!

He was getting all giddy just thinking about it!

Eventually arriving outside looking over the green grass trying to locate where he had seen the girl and the boy from before as he zeroed-in on a small group in the distance, one of them was wearing a bright white coat that hanged in the air. That had to be them! They just had to be!

"Hey you lot!" Bill called out making his way towards them, waving his hand in the air in order to captured their attention, which he managed to do. "Are one of you Minato Namikaze by any chance?"

The group stopped doing what they had been looking at him with unreadable looks, holding their gaze in a suspicious manner that made the redhead started re-thinking his plan of introduction. Thankfully, the spiky blond held up his hand, giving him a gentle smile. "Yes, that would be me," The man answered in a polite ton. "My I ask what your name is?"

Bill found himself stunned staring into the handsome face of the man before him. Now, he was fully aware of his attraction to the same-sex but never before had he ever meet someone so handsome in his entire life finding himself nearly sheepishly, unable to string together what he wanted to stay. Thankfully, his mind slowly began to work again after tearing himself away from the bright blue eyes. "Right, name's Bill Weasley," Bill introduced shaking his head roughly. "I'm sure that Professor Babbling mentioned you about me?"

The blond's eyes widened for a fraction of a second narrowing again thoughtfully. "Yes, she did." His words were smooth and warm, the blue eyes danced with mirth. "Thank you for coming, I apologize for calling you away from your duties."

"It's fine," Bill dismissed easily, waving his hand. "It must have been important for her to have called me all the way out here."

"Indeed it is," Minato nodded seriously. His body turned towards the three students that he was with gesturing towards them. "These are several students that I was merely training with; redhead is Yakumo-"

The girl smiled at him. "Nice to meet you Weasley-san," bowing politely.

"Just call me Bill," The curse breaker requested, grinning sheepishly. "My Japanese vocabulary is rather limited."

The taller teen of the three raised an eyebrow. "The honorific '-san' is the same as 'mister' or 'miss' in your language, it's not that complicated." He informed him bluntly, staring at him with a dried expression. He let out a howl of pain as Yakumo jabbed him hard in the ribs.

"Don't be rude Yuushi!" The girl scowled, pressing her lips tightly together into a frown sending him a withering glare.

"Did you have to jab me that HARD?!" Yuushi snapped at her holding the side of his stomach angrily.

The final boy with the glasses chuckled softly, oddly enough Bill couldn't help but think that he had seen him around somewhere before, but where? "You kind a deserve it, Yuushi." The dark haired teen said not unkindly to the other boy, his lips twitched fondly.

"I thought you were on my side!" The taller teen folded his arms against his chest pouting.

The darker haired boy simply smiled innocently. "I'm on my side."

Yuushi turned away childishly, as a snicker escaped his lips grinning at the other boy. Bill couldn't help smile at the scene seeing the strong bond between the three of these kids, they were obviously very close to one another. Not even the friends that he had known back during his days at Hogwarts had the bond that they had Bill couldn't help feel rather envious of it. The people that he mostly considered friends were his co-workers and Charlie, not that was a bad thing however, even he'd like appreciate to have people to talk to outside of the small circle that had formed around him. Perhaps it was a selfish desire of his to have something new in his mundane life that he had found himself stuck in or maybe, being back at Hogwarts was rekindling of days long gone?

He didn't truly know.

"Shall we take this inside?" Minato inquired kindly, wearing a soft smile on his face. "I'm sure that these three will be fine on their own without us looking over their shoulders. You must have travelled a long way to get here."

Bill shook his head, negative. "I prefer being outside, it's usually how I spend most of my days anyway. The trip here hadn't been so bad, had to apparate though and take a Portkey to finally get there mind you. But overall it hadn't been that bad of a trip; I could think of a few ways that would have made it annoying," He added stroking his chin with a small chuckle.

The dark haired boy nodded sympathetically. "I know what you mean. I hate travelling via floo."

"Had a bad experience?" Bill asked, curiously with a side-smirk.

"I ended up in Knockturn Alley," The teen winced visibly. "Not my fondest memory."

A small laugh came from Bill's lips struggling to keep it concealed, the ends of his lips tugged into a giant grin as he did so. "It could have been worse," Bill informed him lightly. Thinking of all the other possibly places that the younger boy could have ended up. "At least you remained in the country instead of ending up somewhere else!"

"Like where?" The boy asked warily, his eyes narrowed not knowing he truly desired to know.

"You could have ended up in Germany or even somewhere in America," The curse breaker answered cheerfully. "In fact I remember one time when my brother Charlie ended up in France! Let me tell ya it took one hell of a time trying to get him back home especially with Mum overreacting." Shaking his head at that particular memory at least his brother had been safe and managed to home, covered in kisses and clothes loosened, much to his amusement and his mum's absolute horror. Of course, Charlie never gave them any details on the matter.

Speaking of which...

"I never caught your name," Bill stated changing the subject and eyed the emerald eyed teen rather curiously.

The teen didn't even blink instead choosing to stare at him seeing a flash of surprise appear briefly within the pools of green before vanishing just as quickly. A look of relief had also appeared before the boy's expression changed into a smile holding out his hand towards him. "It's Harry. Harry Potter."

(UTU)

The past two months hadn't been in Dumbledore's favour nearly all of his attempts to drive Harry away from those Shinobi had been less the fruitful. The boy had managed to evade and dodge his staff at the end of every lesson vanishing in the crowds to rejoin his 'teammates'. It seemed that the long he had allowed Harry to hanging around them, the harder it would be to return the boy back to his roots. Action had to be taken! He couldn't let Harry fall into that violent world-and even worse, being drawn into the dark arts! No. He wouldn't let that happen, there was too much at risk to simply let Harry continued pursuing such childish desires as making new friends.

Weren't Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley enough friends to have?

If he had been aware of what would happen then he wouldn't have hired the Shinobi in the first place! Harry was learning to become independent, which wasn't what Dumbleore wanted. He _needed _the boy to be completely dependent upon him and the staff.

Thankfully having hired Remus as a Professor would be an excellent way in solving that problem; after all that man had been a friend of his parents surely Harry wanted to know more about them. It had been a smart move on his part, upon hearing that Sirius had escaped from Azkaban prison he had resolved to seek the man out, since the lost of his three of best friends and one of them turning traitor had nearly broken Remus beyond repair forcing the former Gryffindor into isolation on the outskirts of Europe away from nearly all human contact. As far as he was aware his former student had managed to survive by taking on various old jobs in the muggle world.

It pained Dumbledore to see that a once bright and academically successful man like Remus was being forced to do things the muggle way due to the prejudice and narrow-minded ways of the British wizading world. Not many people wanted to be around werewolves, some of them desired to kill them and others avoided them like the plague, afraid of being infected themselves just be being around them. It was complete hogwash in his opinion.

In fact many of the professors had once voiced their concerns allowing Remus to attend Hogwarts when he had brought up the issue all those years ago. But now they sang a very difficult tone. Regardless, using the man's presence to his advantage would be easy.

After all. Remus owed him.

(UTU)

Chapter 11 end

OMG guys thank you ALL so much for the reviews from the previous chapter, you have NO idea how immensely happy it made me to see them. I really hope that I get the same type of feedback for this chapter as well so please keep them coming, it's YOU guys that make UtU thrive and remain alive!

Speaking of which PLEASE, PLEASE can you check out my other fic 'Rise of the Uzumaki' It's a Naruto x Harry Potter x Pokemon x Multicrossover that really needs some loving, and reviewing.

I have decided to try out a new writing style for UtU; do you like it or shall I go back to the old style?

Now for a serious now; I have gotten a few reviews in regards about Sakura and Harry's placement as a team member; I just want to get this out of the way. While Sakura, at this point in time isn't my favorite character, I DO plan on developing her and Harry's placement IS with Yuushi and Yakumo. So I hope that's clear, okay?

Make sure to leave a review telling me what you're liking, what you don't, and what you think should/could happen next!

Thanks!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"YOU'RE LATE!"

The angry shrill echoed loudly spreading through the skies using the winds to carry the sound, as the tree shook violently due to the pure strength that had been in the yell. Of course, this was not an uncommon event whenever Team Seven met up with their instructor; Hatake Kakashi, whom was sitting upon the branch passively flipping through his orange covered book not fazed by the accusation. Every morning he would be late and Sakura would make it known by yelling, while Sasuke and Naruto simply stood around watching the scene play out. Evidently, the two had learned earlier on not to say anything in hopes of not drawing attention to themselves while Sakura was in one of her moods, she could be quite scary depending on which mood she was in.

"Maa, maa. I had to stop to help an old lady across the street and then help save her cat from a teacher before running into some trash," Kakashi informed her in a positively cheerful tone, his eyes doing the strange 'u' thing as he smiled behind his mask, closing his book and dropped down to the ground. "It took quite awhile to save that cat, I don't think it like me very much."

"It's probably because covered in the fur of your dog summons," Naruto nodded sagely folding his arms against his chest.

Sakura whirled at him glaring angrily. "Don't encouraging him Naruto – and besides he used that excuse last week!" Once again she turned towards their instructor glaring at him irritably as Kakashi continued to smile at her giving a small wave.

Naruto frowned. "He probably has a good reason for being late, Sakura." He tried to placate the pink-haired girl calmly holding up his in a defensive manner ignoring the surprised look he had received in return.

"Oh?" Sakura looked rather doubtful and delicately raising an eyebrow.

"It's...just a guess, you know?" The blonde waved his hand trying to get his point across at the same time not giving away anything. "Kakashi-sensei's a Jounin so he probably has a lot of stuff that he needs to get done before meeting with us? We're supposed to be Shinobi," He pointed out further. "So it's our job to figure out what that is. Right, sensei?"

Kakashi appeared winded by the response, but had quickly masked it wearing an thumbs up. "That's exactly right Naruto!"

"Then," Sakura's brows knitted together uncertain glancing back and forth between the two. "What were you doing, sensei?"

The jounin tilting his head at the question as the smile remained walking over towards where she was standing and patted her head. "It's how Naruto said, Sakura. That's up to you to figure out," As he brushed past her easily, sharply turning to face the three and clapped his hands together. "Alright Team Seven it's time for today's exercises and then on with today's mission. Naruto, you will be working on your chakra control while Sasuke and I will be sparing."

"What about Sakura?" Naruto interjected instantly.

Kakashi blinked. "Hm?"

"I'm doing chakra control and you're sparing with Sasuke, so what's Sakura supposed to be doing? She can't just sit around and do nothing," The blonde was forced to clarify frowning at how dismissive the man was towards their final team mate and former crush. Ever since being and returning from England he had become much more aware of things, his teammates in particular and how much his training had improved after his being under his father during the short amount of time. Though Naruto knew he had to hold back during training spars in order not to arouse suspicion, fearing that if anyone had noticed they'd end up asking questions that he didn't really want to answer.

"The dobe has a point, I don't want to be dragged down." Sasuke finally spoke up throwing a sneer towards his and Sakura's direction, eyeing them condescendingly. "Make herself useful or something."

Sakura managed to keep herself from flinching, her smile was strained forcing it upon herself. "I'm not useless Sasuke-kun-"

"Prove it."The Uchiha rebuked flatly strutting towards the center, half turned his head and shot his arms up in an offensive fashion. "Fight me. Prove to us that having your actually useful for once. Or should I remind you of how useless you were back in Wave?"

That had been a low blow. None of them had been experienced even to have handled that fight properly, they had won purely by luck and as much as Naruto hated to admit, using the Kyuubi's Chakra. The fact that Sasuke had the sheer gull to bring up that mission was not _cool_. Even Sakura had looked upset. Despite that Wave had gotten a happy ending and they managed to complete their mission without any of them dying, it was still a sore spot for them all.

"S-Sasuke-kun..." Sakura's tone was soft barely above a whisper staring with worry in her green eyes. Not a moment after she swallowed loudly, stepping towards the opposite side sliding into an academy stance. "Give me your best shot Sasuke-kun!"

The cold smirk that formed on the raven-haired boy's face could give anyone the chills as he lunged forward throwing his fist first, it collided straight into Sakura's stomach picking her up from the ground nearly flinging her straight into the air until Sasuke raised his leg up and slammed down forcing her straight to the ground. The spar had been over been it could even begin. Neither Kakashi or Naruto move watching with mixed expressions waiting for something, anything to happen as the girl remained on the ground not moving. Several moments passed quickly with no response only for the Uchiha's eyes to linger on her before turning away with a sharp sneer no bothering to check.

"Useless."

That word snapped Naruto back into reality rushing towards Sakura, gently picking her up from the ground. "S-Sakura," He called worriedly trying not to shake her body upon doing so. "C-C'mon speak to me Sakura-chan! Don't just res-...S...Sakura?"

Tears streamed down the girl's face, the long bangs covered her eyes. A sad, painful smile appeared on her smile chocking out a laugh. "I-I'm...really am useless aren't it?" Tilting her head to reveal the glimmering green eyes filled with water. "Naruto?"

There was nothing that Naruto could say as he pulled the girl into a tight, shaking hug merely holding her as silence reigned over them. Kakashi had left with Sasuke not much later after the fight had been finished, leaving the two Genin sitting on the ground together as he tried to conceal his own tears. His chest started to become very damp hearing the muffled sobs coming from Sakura. This was really the only thing that he could do for her at the moment. Just like that her reality had been shattered by one sparring match. He didn't know for sure if that was the case, however, a strange feeling inside of him said that her allusions of Sasuke were history.

Whether that was a good or bad thing, Naruto had no answer.

(1)

The Sandaime eyed the file that was laying on his desk critically before folding it shut. Removing himself from his chair wandering over towards the window staring outside at the city, everything looked so beautiful from the view at which he was standing at. The Shodaime had made certain that the office for the Hokage was located in a place that would allow each Kage to gaze over the beloved town. From time to time Hiruzen would gaze from the window watching civilian and Shinobi alike among the streets, the peopled that he held dear and fought to protect and would continue to do so until his dying day.

However, that may not be in the case anymore. At least as a Hokage.

The newest report that he had received from his son, Sarutobi Asuma and field leader Umino Iruka detailed the events that had transpired up to this current point in time. At first he had been rather skeptical of what the report had to offer, with the exception of the steady progress of the three genins, and presumed that it was a mere misunderstanding after being away from home for so long that their minds began to play tricks upon them. But, upon seeing the seal that had been placed within in the report all of his disbelief had been thrown out of the window. The chakra that was emitting from the seal could not be faked by any means and while it seemed rather impossible he remember that his Shinobi were dealing with magic, anything was possible when it was involved.

Unfortunately he had been forced to take precautions and destroy the information in order to prevent the information from ending up in the wrong hands. More notably Danzou and his teammates Utatane and Homura; the two shared the fascist ideology that Danzo firmly believed in throwing support into his _Ne _program back in the day before he had put a stop to it. Or at least he had though, by no means was Hiruzen a fool, and was well aware that the three continued with _Ne _behind his back in hopes of strengthening their forces and eventually overruling him as the Hokage. By being on the Council allowed them a certain amount of power that he could never have, constantly throwing it in his face like spoiled children.

Initially the Council had been designed after the devastation the Kyuubi had brought to Konoha in hopes of combined Shinobi and Civilian together deepening their bonds to make Konoha even more prosperous than it initially had been. In the end that had probably been one of his gravest mistakes once made those that supported Danzou, those that were against the Sarutobi clan and finally those that saw him as weak made petition after petition in order to gain more power to the point where even he struggled to stand against him. It was by luck alone that the Fire Daimyo agreed that final say in how Konoha was run bar himself would fall to the Hokage, especially during times of war thus limited to the Council's say in certain matters. As much as a relief it had been damage had been done with no way to undo it.

There was no way for him to disband the Council without causing some kind of power conflict between the clans which was not something he was willing to risk. Especially with the Chuunin exams looming over them so closely, for the mean time he'd allow things to be as they are.

Once Minato decided to return to Konoha they would have to discuss about the Hokage position while Hiruzen would not by any means force the title onto the man a much needed talk about a successor was needed. His reinstatement had been during a time of necessarily and need rather than anything else; with his old age it would not be much longer before he would be incapable of maintaining the mantle. With Tsunade missing, Jiraiya refusing to take the position and Orochimaru being a rouge-nin there were no other candidates that were able to become the Godaime; but he knew that Danzou's age would not stop him from trying.

There was no way in hell that he would allow that man to ever become Hokage, he'd practically be sentencing Konoha to a living hell. The man was too entirely focused on his own agenda to stop and think of all the horrendous deeds that he done in the past, believing that his way was right and anyone that opposed him needed to be killed. That was not the type of leader Konoha desperately needed.

On the brighter side of things he had been pleased to know that the mission had been going rather smoothly so far nothing had particularly happened given on incident during Halloween night. The target got into the school causing panic to run rampant, but effectively had been dealt with. Secure had doubled in size with the help of the Dementors.

The Sandaime suppressed a shudder. He had come in contact with those dreadful creatures once before it had not been very pleasant, how one could allow those soul-sucking monsters near children was beyond his understanding! Even being aligned with was rather unnerving, why the British had subjected themselves to that he would never know. At least they had not caused anymore problems as far as he knew. Though that didn't mean he had to like the idea.

He only hoped that Dumbledore knew exactly what he was doing.

(2)

Naruto ended up taking Sakura back to his apartment at first he thought about taking her straight home but decided not to in fear of getting verbally assaulted by her parents like he normally happened whenever being around someone else. Of course he had never personally interacted with her parents before it seemed like a safer idea to avoid them for the time being.

She was laying sound asleep in the spare room having cried herself into complete and utter exhaustion, not that he could personally blame her. He knew exactly what it was like finding out that some things just aren't what they seem; but he overcame that and resolved to be stronger, in order to show the people of the village that he wasn't what they thought he was and earn their respect, and their loyalty. He wanted to become someone that all of Konoha could rely on to protect them. Once he was ready and able to that is. During his time away from Konoha Naruto finally realized just how ill prepared he was as a Shinobi, and how much work he needed to get where he desired.

Thanks to Dad, Iruka and the others he had grow a little bit from where he use to be plus gained a few times. As painful as it sounded Naruto had to agree with Kakashi when it came to his Chakra Control, even his own Dad pointed it out to him, before recommending easy exercises. Apparently, he hadn't been the only one in his family that had a difficult time with using his chakra. It wasn't entirely perfect as of yet but was slowly nearing the point to where it could be considered acceptable. Not that it would ever stop him from trying new Jutsu out or anything.

Another odd thing that had happened when he used his _Oiroke no Jusu_his dad had been rather impress but, hadn't gone flying with a nosebleed and at the same time sternly requested never to use that technique again while praising him for his inventiveness and began to question him on how he created the technique. Needless to say, it had been one of the best bonding moments that he could have ever had! In fact he had been jumping for joy when his dad had even encouraged him to continue creating new techniques... as long as they weren't perverted like that one.

It was a small price to pay but hell he was definitely going to make new ones!

In fact he had learned a lot from his dad...especially about Kakashi, a heavy sigh escaped his lips casting another glance at the sleeping girl in the next room. He manoeuvred himself quietly to the kitchen preparing something at least edible for them to eat once Sakura decided to wake up, whenever that was.

Hatake Kakashi, prodigy son of the infamous White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo; a man that failed a mission in an attempt to save his comrades from being killed only to end up being dishonored and shunned by civilian and comrade alike eventually being driven to seppuku as his last resort. That moment had defined Kakashi's mind becoming a person that was strictly by the book placing the mission above the very lives of his comrades in order to avoid the same mistake his father had only for it to lead to the death of his fellow teammate, Uchiha Obito, the one whom gave Kakashi his Sharingan and led him to who he was now.

However, Naruto couldn't help wonder if the constant losses in his life had driven his sensei overboard. There had been times when Kakashi managed to be funny other times he could be rather irritable to deal with like had been this morning, completely ditching Sakura and him as he went to go and train Sasuke; probably thinking it was the only way to repay his debt to Obito and seeking forgiveness.

Not that he was certain but after seeing the man standing in front of the monumental stone it made sense. Unfortunately dotting on their third member did nothing to help Sakura and himself grow as a Shinobi, without an Jounin Instructor to help guide them, what was the point in being on team seven? While Sakura could probably seek out another Shinobi to help with her training, any chances of him getting any help was next to nothing, having just some scrolls were helpful it wasn't the same not having someone to train with. He didn't dare bother Shikamaru, Shino or even ask Asuma-sensei for help either, they were busy with their own teams to spare any time.

But where to start was the question? His stamina and endurance were in top shape exceeded to Jounin level at best, but he was lacking heavily when it came to Genjutsu, his Ninjutsu needed definitely work and lastly his taijutsu wasn't entirely bad when it came to strength still needed more training.

Naruto brought his fingers to nose pinching the bridge. "What a mess I really need to start getting my ass into gear," He murmured under his breath shaking his head, moving his arms backwards to grip the counter's edge as he leaned back. His eyes moved towards the blinking dulled lights that hang above. "...but how?"

"T-the beginning usually works..."

"S-Sakura!" His tone went high pitched being caught in surprise seeing the pink-haired girl leaning against the doorway wearing a tired smile. "W-what are you doing up?"

Sakura shrugged. "I slept long enough. Besides I could hear you thinking from a mile away," She clarified waving her hand dismissively.

"Gee thanks," Naruto remarked dryly. "...How are you feeling?"

A stilled silence appeared for several moments staring at one another openly as Sakura made her way to the table placing herself in a seat. Her features had a pensive look staring at him with an unreadable gleam that passed through her eyes.

"You know..." The words were quite barely being able to be heard due to his sensitive hearing he had been able to pick it up rather easily. "I use to think, when our teams were announced, that somehow Sasuke and I would end up together and I'd end beating Ino-pig for sure! But...I know that's not that case. He doesn't really care for me at all I'm just someone that's on his team, nothing more nothing less." Shutting her eyes tightly as she shook her heard. "I can't believe I deluded myself into believing I could win his affections. Everything's changed since leaving the Academy... you've changed the most Naruto." A sharp, sad laugh escaped from her. "You're not the same annoying boy..."

Naruto felt his eye twitch. "Gee thanks Sakura."

"I don't mean that in a bad way," Sakura shook her head. "Ever since _Wave_you're different, stronger and wiser I guess. You stopped calling me 'Sakura-chan' I knew then things were never going to be the same. Hell, you were even sent to a different country with a different team growing further-"

"I don't think I've grown all that much," Naruto confessed honestly, it was the truth.

Sakura snorted bemused. "You have. You just don't realize it Naruto, but you've definitely grown. I've seen you concentrating more thinking things through before jumping into anything, hell you even defended Kakashi-sensei today; you've never done that before." She pointed out with a wry smile. "The only one that hasn't grown is me..."

Naruto frowned. "Don't say that. Of course you've grown-"

"No. I haven't." She interrupted sharply shooting him a glare. "I'm the weakest and most immature out of the three of us; I can't spar with either of you, my jutsu arsenal is basically next to nil and I can barely keep up with the two of you when you run!"

Naruto remained silent watching her become more distraught at her words. What in the world had brought this type of reaction on, had Sasuke's rejection hit straight towards her subconscious insecurities? He had suspected for awhile that Sakura had kept most of her inner thoughts to herself wearing a facade much like he had. And now, everything was pouring out like a facet. In the words of Shikamaru; how troublesome. Handling girls had never been one of his strong suites especially crying girls. But, Sakura was his teammate and he owed it to her to help get through the breakdown she was having. He swallowed audibly massage his temple.

"Sakura," He began slowly clicking his tongue against his teeth. "Why did you become a Shinobi?"

She looked up obviously surprised by the question, blushing not a moment after. "W-well it was back in the days when Ino-pig and I were friends once we got sent into the Academy. Sasuke was going-"

"I meant before you even had a crush on him," Naruto amended correctly.

Silence appeared once more as Sakura went into deep thought seriously thinking over why she had chosen their current profession. "When I was a little girl my parents would always tell me this story of a young genin girl with long red hair that saved villages. It was one of my favorite stories, hearing about a strong female heroine that didn't need the aid of a man. I aspired to be like that, standing on my own two feet fighting to protect the people I love." She smiled ruefully. "Only I ended up becoming something I hated; a girl that waited for her so-called prince to come and save. Kinda pathetic isn't it?"

"Maybe," Naruto wasn't going to bother sugar-coating anything. "But, the fact you wanted to become someone strong is admirable. You just got sidetracked along the way, it happens. Hell it happened to me! I was so eager to becoming Hokage and making everyone respect me that I forgot the underlying principals about being the Hokage want it entailed. Ignoring Iruka-sensei's and Hokage-Oji's advice hadn't done me much favor Sakura, but I realize that now. I plan on changing that and becoming stronger but this time around I'm going to do the right way with good reasons. You can't let something prevent you from getting back up and trying again."

"N-Naruto!"

A roguish smile made its way onto his face smirking at the pink-haired girl. "That's how I roll Sakura. If I get knocked down I plan on getting right back up. So what are you going to do? Do plan on wallowing in self pity or do you want to do it right?"

Sakura's eyes began to widen at his words staring in shock and awe before shutting them tightly, tears slipped down as a true smile blossomed onto her face. "Yes!"

"Then let's get started!" Naruto cried thrusting his fist into the air cheerfully as Sakura practically jumped off of the seat.

At least that had been taken care of a sad look didn't suite Sakura at all. He much preferred to see a smiling face instead! Together the two began to plan on a training regime for the both of them. It maybe seem like nothing at first but it was the start of something rather than nothing.

(3)

"What the hell Shikamaru!?" The irritating shrill of Ino rang loudly through his ears staring into the angry eyes of the blonde girl. "Get off your lazy ass and put some muscle into it!"

Shikamaru frowned letting out a long, drawn out yawn basking gleefully as the girl cringed back. "Calm down Ino, you're making it sound like I don't pull my own weight during training." As he stretched out his arms and yawned again, blinking tiredly at her. "We've been at this nearly for an hour can't we do something else?"

"NO!" Obviously that had been the wrong thing to say. Her arms folded against her chest staring down at him condescendingly, lips curled into a sneer. "We need to finish this exercise first! Honestly," Ino placed her hands upon her hips, expression changing sorrowfully. "It's like you don't even care, Shikamaru. Not that it should surprise me, you've always been rather lazy even when were back at the Academy. Can't you for once get your behind moving?"

"And why would I ever do that?" He retorted flatly, not wanting to give into her demands.

Ino glared at him. "Do you want to be doing D-Rank Missions for the rest of your life?"

"Those missions require the least amount of work and requirement to move," Shikamaru replied informatively, shrugging his shoulders very lazily.

The blonde girl let out a very frustrated scream throwing an angry glare at him. "Why did I have to be stuck on such a lazy team; first you lazy around all day, Chouji just sits around and eats and all Asuma-sensei does is play Shogi with you. We don't do ANY real training!"

"Shogi is training," Shikamaru rebuke rolling his eyes looking very amused.

"Don't speak to me like I'm a child, Nara Shikamaru." Ino was no longer in the mood to be fooling around wearing her features outlining the tiredness. "I know you use Shogi to come up with strategies with Asuma, and Chouji's main fighting style from his clan relies upon their weight. My clan uses mind techniques and yours use the Shadows, that's all fine and dandy Shikamaru but we can't rely on them to get us out of trouble! We need to cover our weakness."

Shikamaru snorted. "You think too much Ino. Listen, I know what you're trying to say but you need to chill alright? Asuma-sensei and I have everything under control. So don't go worrying over your pretty little head over it."

"Why do I even bother trying?" Ino murmured shaking her head, biting her lips. "You don't understand. None of you do. Fine, whatever I get it. I'm heading home to train with my dad; tell Asuma-sensei and Chouji that I said I'm heading home. See ya Shikamaru." She waved dryly walking away into the distance until she was no longer seen.

The brunet Shinobi shook his head promptly falling onto the grass staring up at the bright blue sky hanging above. A satisfied smirk slowly etched upon his face rather happy with his victory allowing himself to concentrate on the clouds that floated slowly.

Now it was time to get some well earned sleep.

(4)

Night had fallen leaving not even the smallest glimmer of light, the clouds blocking the moon. No sound could be heard for miles even the animals near the forest remained completely silent. It was the perfect night for a run. Darting swiftly on the branches a pair of sapphire orbs narrowed thinly within the darkness, gaining upon his prey that had been hunted relentlessly. Nothing would stand in his way of capturing it. Swinging his legs forward performing a somersault within the air managing to land perfectly upon the padded ground, he carefully checked around before continuing forward furthering away from safety.

His prey was still within his sights. A bit far from his current position but not too far away that he couldn't track him. The adrenaline rushed through his body this time falling on foot rather then above, making things much easier for him.

However, being careful was the key as he did not want to scare his prey away. That would not be favourable.

A cold smirk found it's way onto his face proceeding to chase after the prey, lunging forward with incredibly speed and grace dodging the sharp, small branches that attempted to in his way. His never moved his head keeping it forward focused on his target, swinging his arm backwards to grip one of his kunai before flicking it forward into the desolate shadows of the forest. A few moments later a sound echoed sharply in the air, he knew that it hit.

Not too long after he came across a big, black furred dog that growled loudly at him.

How cute.

"How about you drop the act? I'm not stupid like everyone else," Came his cold words, keeping his eyes trained on the canine before him. "Show yourself now."

The dog remained stilled eyeing him with an unreadable –no an intelligent gleam that passed through the grey orbs. However, it had passed far too quickly for him to pinpoint while the stare remained fixated on him for quite a bit; the so-called canine bowed his head, almost mockingly. Soon afterwards the dog began to change from a beast into a man. A tall man with dark black hair that reached past his waist, he had a gaunt look to him, he could have been mistake for a skeleton if not for the amount of color on his face. Unfortunately, years of malnourishment had not done him much favor.

"And so we meet," The hard tone came as a man with blonde hair made his way out of the shadow, his eyes danced with bemusement.

The man watched him with apprehension now, his eyes darting all over the place yet did not look entirely worried. It proved how smart and courageous the man was, that or he was just stupid and didn't know whom he was dealing with. Not that it mattered. He had a job to do and he planned on carrying it out, taking a deep breath and spoke the two words.

"Sirius Black."

(5)

Chapter end.

I bet none of you were expecting that, huh? Anyway once again I'd like to give a big shout out to all of my reviewer's and my beta; Alex McDowell for all the support. You guys are what keeps this fic going!

I want to say have a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday that you celebrate and a Happy New Year!

Make sure to leave what you liked, what you disliked and where you think this fic is going!

So until January everyone!


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